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PRINCETON,    N.    J. 


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Division. 


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Section    ..,  :  .Ca^W  .Ti . . #/i  ..^ 

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CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

A    STOR\ 


AFRICAN  MISSION   LIFE. 


'>     ^  .  '> 


v/"/  V,    t./  .  ^ 


\\iITH     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO. 
1874- 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

J.   B.   LIPPINCOTT    &    CO., 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Methought  that  of  these  visionary  flowers 

I  made  a  nosegay,  bound  in  such  a  way 

That  the  same  hues,  which  in  their  natural  bowers 

Were  mingled  or  opposed,  the  like  array 

Kept  these  imprisoned  children  of  the  Hours 

Within  my  hand  ;  and  then,  .... 

I  hastened  to  the  spot  whence  I  had  come 

That  I  might  there  present  it," — on  her  tomb. 


DEDICATORY. 


INSCRIBED    TO 


MRS.  DR.  WILLIAM   C.  THOMSON, 

OF   GLASGOW,   SCOTLAND, 

WHO   DIED   NOVEMBER   28,  1872. 


I  cannot  thank  her  now,  but  I  pray  that,  if  consistent  with  His 
holy  will,  the  Omniscient  Elder  Brother  may  cause  her  (whatever 
now  her  angel  name)  who  bore  on  earth  the  name  of  Margaret 
(Frame)  Thomson,  to  know  that  the  completion  of  this  labor  of 
love,  whose  inception  she  first  suggested,  is  not  only  pursuant  of 
her  wish,  but  responsive  to  foreign  missionary  interest  and  personal 
sympathy,  centring  from  wide-spread  sources  around  my  wife's 
grave,  and  assurmg  me  that  grave  was  not  wastefully  made. 

R.  H.  NASSAU. 

Peekskill-on-the-Hudson,  November,  1873. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Dedicatory 5 

Introductory  .....         ...        9 

Genealocucal 13 

CHAPTER    I. 
A  Picture 15 

C  PI  A  P  T  E  R    1 1. 
A  Homestead 17 

CHAPTER    III. 
A  Child 25 

CHAPTER    IV. 
A  School-Girl        .        . ;i^ 

CHAPTER    V. 
A  Teacher       .  .         .         -41 

CHAPTER    VI. 

A    MiS.SlONARY 51 

CHAPTER    VII. 
To  Africa 65 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

PAGE 

CoRisco  Girls'  School 82 

-  CHAPTER    IX. 
A  Romance »         .         .     105 

CHAPTER    X. 

A    WlKK,  AND    TIIK    ScHO(M I  ID 

CHAPTER    XI. 
A  MoTiiLR. — Rkturn  to  the  School    ....     150 

CHAPTER    XII. 

PlONEERINO 188 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
Little  Paull 232 

CPIAPTER    XIV. 
I.N'  THE  Wilderness 254 

CHAPTER    XV. 

JOURNEYINGS    OFT 29I 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
I'ADiNcj  Away 313 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
Throu(;h  the  Waters 332 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
Cairn-Stones 355 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
Cytress  Leaves 573 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

UNDER   THE    DAISIES. 

"  Though  they  smile  in  vain  for  what  once  was  ours, 
They  are  love's  last  gift, — bring  ye  flowers,  pale  flowers  !  " 

It  is  far  away, — that  grave. 

Yet,  looking  across  these  brown  November 
fields  to-day,  it  seems  near.  As  if  I  could  touch 
it.  As  I  did  when,  with  two-year-old  baby  Char- 
ley's toddling  steps  at  my  side,  I  took — at  his  wish 
to  "go  mamma" — that  sunset  walk  before  each 
day's  tropic  twilight  fell,  and  his  little  hands  with 
mine  gathered  the  white  daisy-like  flowers  that 
humbly  grew  in  the  coarse,  white  sand,  and  laid 
them  on  her  grave. 

Only  white    flowers    then.     Gaudy  tints    hung 
from  vine  and  branch  over  the  path.     They  were 
not  chosen.     Their  odors,  like  tuberosefs,  were  too      fl/ 
7]  /   voluptuous  for  loneliness.     Only  white  flowers  and 
green  grasses  then. 


10  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

But  now,  for  the  sake  of  the  many  who  have 
thrown  their  fragrant  thoughts  about  her  name, 
that  daisy  monotone  may  swell  into  a  harmony  of 
sounds  culled  from  the  many-hued  "  alphabet  of 
angels  ;"  and  I  gather, — 

"  With  all  the  pale  flowers  of  the  vernal  woods, 
White  violets,  and  the  mournful  hyacinth. 
And  frail  anemone," 

cinquefoil  and  weeping-willow  mourning  for  the 
dead;  pine-leaves,  mournfully  musical,  sighing 
pitifully  for  life  so  early  ended ;  olive-sprigs  and 
amaranths  of  thanks  for  the  peace  and  rest  found 
in  the  immortality  "where  we  lay  our  burdens 
down;"  roses,  withered, — only  memory  recalling 
their  loveliness ;  water-lilies,  not  purer  than  the 
heart  that  has  at  last  by  the  sight  of  God  realized 
His  beatitude;  tall  reeds, — musical  reeds, — recall- 
ing happy  voices ;  and  clinging,  twining,  friendly 
ivy ;  hopeful  verbenas,  and  coreopses,  and  chrysan- 
themums, cheerful  as  the  merry  thought  and  sun- 
like spirit  that  shone  no  less  even  when  the  days 
were  "  cold  and  dark ;"  red  sepals  of  pine-apple- 
blossoms,  and  leaflets  of  palms,  feathery  and  grace- 
ful as  the  footstep  that  drew  its  lightness  from  an 
upright  and  perfect  heart;  and  cross-bearing  pas- 
sion-flowers,— the  cross  of  an  unswervinsf  faith ; 
thoughtful  pansies  and  forget-me-nots  ;  submissive 
blue  violets  of  meek  regrets,  and  asphodels  of  re- 


INTRO D UCTOR  Y.  I  i 

grets  vain  unless  to  purify;  and  red  poppies  and 
hyacinths,  consoling  with  a  faith  in  the  develop- 
ments of  a  future,  and  in  the  God  who,  though 
He  makes  pasts  and  has  made  futures,  gives  for 
actual  duty  only  presents. 

"  By  all  those  token-flowers  that  tell 
What  words  can  ne'er  express  so  M'ell." 


tGENEALOGICAL. 

MARY  CLOYD  (lATTA)  NASSAU. 

"Every  family  is  a  history  in  itself,  and  even  a  poem,  to  those 
who  know  how  to  search  its  pages." 

1732. 

*REV.  JAMES  LATTA,  D.D. 

Born  in  the  winter  of  1732,  died  January  29,   iSoi;    Pastor  at 

Chestnut  Level,  Lancaster  County,  Pa. ;  and  his  wife, 

*Mary  McCalla, 

and  their  ten  children,  of  whom  eight  survived  them,  viz., 

*Francis  Alison, — Rev.  F.  A.  Latta,  Chestnut  Level,  Pa. ;    un- 
married. 
*Wi7/iam,—Rev.  W.  Latta,  D.D.,  Great  Valley,  Chester  County, 

Pa.,  to  whom  Xi"**  Dorn  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
*John  Ewing, — Rev.  J.  E.  Latta,  D.D.,  Newcastle,  Del.,  to  whom 

•vsJAS  born  two  sons  and  five  daughters. 
*Mai7, — Miss  Mary  Latta. 
*Margaret, — Miss  Margaret  Latta. 
*Elizabeth, — Miss  Elizabeth  Latta. 
*Sarah, — Mrs.  Rev.  Thomas  Love,  Red  Clay  Creek,  Del.,  to  whom 

was  born  one  daughter. 
*James, — Rev.  J.  Latta,  Upper  Octorara,  Chester  County,  Pa.,  to 
whom  ASMts  Born  one  son  and  five  daughters. 

^See  Sprague's  "  Annals"  of  Presbyterianism,  vol.  3,  names  Latta,  p.  199, 
and  McCalla,  p.  320. 

2*  13 


14  GENEALOGICAL. 

1769. 
*REV.  WILLIAM  LATTA,  D.D. 
Born   May — ,  1769,  died   February  19,  1847;    Tastor  at  Great 
Valley,  Chester  County,  Pa. ;  and  his  wife, 

*Mary  Ci.oyd, 
and  their  four  children,  viz., 
Mary  Ann, — Miss  M.  A.  Latla. 
*Margaretta, —  Miss  M.  Latta. 
*  James  Francis, — J.  F.  Latta,  M.D.,  Chester  County,  Pa.,  to  whom 

wfts  Dorn  one  daughter  and  two  sons. 
William    Wilson, — Rev.    W.    W.    Latta,    Honeybrook,    Chester 
County,  Pa.,  to  whom  survives  one  daughter. 

1808. 
*JAMES   FRANCIS   LATTA,  M.D. 
Born  May  8,  180S,  died  December  26,  1841 ;  Great  Valley,  Ches- 
ter County,  Pa. ;  and  his  wife, 

*Lydia  Ledley  Moore, 
and  their  three  children,  viz., 
*Mary  Cloyd, — Mrs.  Rev.  R.  H.  Nassau,  Benita,  West  Africa. 
\-* Samuel  Moore, — S.   M.  Latta,  died  September  16,  1856,  aged 
eighteen  years. 
*William  James, — Capt.  W.  J.  Latta,  Eighth  Regiment  Penna. 
Cavaliy ;  died  October  5,  1862,  aged  twenty- 
two  years. 

1837. 
*MARY  CLOYD  (LATTA)  NASSAU. 
Born  Februai-y  20, 1837,  died  September  10, 1870,  at  Benita,  West 
Africa;  and  her  three  boys. 
"  And  I  will  establish  my  Covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and 
thy  seed  after  thee  in  their  generations,  for  an  everlasting  Cove- 
nant, to  be  a  God  unto  thee  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee." 

"•"SCc  N«tc,  prcecdiagTWtge. 


CHAPTER    I. 

A    PICTURE. 

"  And  then  I  tliink  of  one  who,  in 
Her  youthful  beauty,  died; 
The  fair,  meek  blossom  that  grew  up 
And  faded  by  my  side." 

Two  locks  of  hair. 

One,  fair  and  golden,  cut  when  she .    No  one 

can  tell  me  now  just  when  or  by  whom.  Perhaps 
by  a  mother's  hand.  Perhaps  in  one  of  childhood's 
sicknesses,  and  laid  away  in  this  old  family  Bible 
of  her  maternal  grandfather.  Perhaps  as  a  me- 
mento of  happy  youth,  when  that  mother  may  have 
looked,  in  natural  solicitude,  to  the  possibilities  of 
the  future.  One  hand  after  another  has  preserved 
it  from  loss,  hidden  safely, — perhaps  in  this  very 
Bible, —  and  there  it  has  lain  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  While  the  light  of  youth  that  shines  in 
these  silken  threads  grew,  beaming  on  the  years  of 
girlhood  and  womanhood,  and — like  the  light  of 
stars  before  the  sun — has  gone  out  in  the  glory  of 
eternity,  the  little  lock  still  lies  here  with  the  hue 
and  coil  of  those  little  years,  to  tell  of  the  form  and 
features  whose  spirit  gave  it  life. 

15 


l6  CROWNED   IN  PALM'LAND. 

The  other,  a  heavy  tress,  in  which  the  color  of 
infancy  has  darkened,  in  a  casket  with  the  faded 
bridal  wreath  of  buds  from  the  orange  groves  of 
Corisco,  cut  off  as  a  burden  under  Africa's  fevers, 
before  its  mass  had  borne  a  single  "  almond" 
blossom. 

How  much  the  light-golden  hairs  could  tell  of 
the  thought  of  the  brain  that  pulsed  beneath  the 
wide  temple,  that  spoke  through  the  large  gener- 
ous mouth,  or  that  glanced  through  the  blue  eyes 
under  the  high,  wide,  open  forehead !  The  after- 
years,  that  darkened  this  tress  to  its  ruddy  auburn, 
only  added  to  the  vivacity  that  gleamed  in  those 
eyes  when  they  were  no  longer  a  quiet,  studious 
little  girl's,  but  a  sprightly  woman's. 

Each  braid  recalls  a  memory,  and  has  a  voice  to 
speak  for  some  special  feature. 

This,  for  the  lithe  form  that,  in  spite  of  a  forward 
inclination  of  head  and  shoulder  induced  by  the 
close  observation  of  near-sightedness,  was  taller 
than  medium  stature.  This,  for  the  graceful  neck 
over  which  it  played,  tossed  by  the  fresh  western 
breeze  that  came  with  the  swell  of  the  Atlantic  on 
Corisco's  strand.  This,  for  the  white  cheek, — never 
ruddy, — in  whose  skin's  fair  delicacy,  even  before 
tropic  heat  had  played  on  it,  the  freckled  foot- 
prints of  the  sun's  rays  had  impressed  themselves. 
And  this,  for  the  mobile  lips  playing  with  quick 
flow  of  words  in  animated  conversation ;  or,  from 


A    HOMESTEAD. 


17 


their  quiet  line  of  repose,  springing  into  curved  life 
in  sudden  repartee.  And  tJiis,  that  played  loose, 
either  in  accustomed  negligence  or  in  permitted 
enjoyment  of  its  escape  from  restraint  of  netting 
or  pin,  recalls  the  agile  step  that  on  the  sands 
sought  with  her  native  girls  for  shell,  or  coral,  or 
weed,  treading  with  no  less  lightness  and  elasticity 
than  their  own  feet. 

Lay  them  away  again, — the  golden  lock  in  the 
old  family  Bible,  and  the  auburn  tress  in  the  casket 
by  the  faded  wreath.  Their  silent  voices,  though 
they  recall  a  picture  of  the  mortal  lineaments,  can 
not  recall  what  has  put  on  immortality. 

"  Her  memory  is  the  shrine 
Of  pleasant  thoughts,  soft  as  the  scent  of  flowers." 


CHAPTER    II. 

A    HOMESTEAD. 

1837-1842.     In  tlie  Valley. 

"  There  were  flowers  beside  the  brooklet ; 
There  were  colors  on  the  meadow " 

That  was  a  pleasant  ride,  one  August  day,  when 
her  two  boys  went  to  see  the  place  where  their 
mother  had  lived  when  younger  even  than  they. 

The  cars  had  brought  us  through  the  valley  of 


1 8  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

the  Schuylkill  from  Philadelphia  and  Norristown 
up  into  the  Great  Valley  of  Chester  County.  Rest- 
ing there,  about  the  middle  of  the  valley  at  a  small 
way-station,  among  connections  of  the  Latta  family, 
we  shared  the  easy  hospitality  of  a  Pennsylvania 
farm-house  of  the  kind  that,  with  the  refinements 
of  education  and  the  comforts  due  proximity  to 
the  city,  unites  rural  true-heartedness  and  freedom 
from  restraint. 

The  next  day,  with  the  family  carriage  and  "old 
Mose," — a  relic  whose  age  released  him  from  the 
labors  of  the  plow,  but  which  better  fitted  him 
for  safe  driving  by  hands  unskilled,  or  young,  or 
timid, — we  started  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  various 
localities,  within  a  radius  of  five  miles,  where  Mrs. 
Nassau's  infancy  had  been  passed. 

A  pilgrimage  to  a  Mecca.  But  whatever  the  sad- 
ness it  might  have  for  the  older  ones  of  the  party, 
for  the  children  it  was  to  be  as  happy  as  had  been 
their  mother  in  those  same  scenes.  Here,  in  the 
midst  of  "  Chester's  storied  vales  and  hills,"  a 
painter-poet  has  laid  some  of  the  scenes  of  the 
"  Wild  Wagoner  of  the  Alleghanies ;"  and,  only  a 
few  miles  distant,  patriotism  had  suffered  in  the 
snows  of  Valley  Forge.  What  a  picture  of  loveli- 
ness, as  we  jogged  along,  gathering  the  view  from 
either  side!  Under  the  burdened  apple-trees  of  the 
orchard, — stopping  under  a  neighbor's  pear-tree  to 
listen  to  a  reminiscence  of  the  Doctor,  who  "knew 


A   HOMESTEAD. 


19 


her  from  a  child," — winding  from  side  to  side  of 
the  valley  as  the  land-swales  followed  the  course 
of  the  errant  stream.  Those  gently-sloping  hills, 
the  stone-walled  roadsides,  the  low-roofed  dairy- 
houses  trying  to  hide  themselves  on  the  edges  of 
charming  meadows,  the  short,  steep  ascents  and 
descents,  till  we  came  on  our  westward  way  up 
the  valley  to  the  Latta  homestead.  Up  that  steep 
ascent  how  the  horses  must  have  panted  in  sum- 
mer! Down  it,  how  the  boys'  coursing  sleds  must 
have  sped  in  winter  ! 

There  had  lived  the  Rev.  William  Latt-a,  D.D., 
while  pastor,  for  almost  half  a  century,  of  the  Great 
Valley  and  Charlestown  churches.  "  He  was  a  fine 
scholar,  was  skilled  in  the  use  of  his  pen,  and  was 
occasionally  occupied  in  teaching.  The  General 
Assembly,  in  1847,  P^i^  ^  tribute  to  his  memory, 
by  speaking  of  him  as  '  one  of  the  venerable  fathers 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.'  " 

The  trees  in  the  door-yard — those  spruces  and 
maples — he  had  planted.  Sitting  on  the  ample 
porch  of  the  front  door-way  he  could  doubtless 
have  looked  over  their  top  or  through  their  vistas 
as  their  lines  sloped  down  to  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
and  could  see  across  and  down  the  valley.  But 
their  tall  tops  and  densely-interlaced  branches,  riot- 
ing in  neglected  wildness,  shut  out  sight  now. 

The  simple-hearted  foreign  woman,  who  boarded 
and  lodged  the  employees  of  the  adjacent  stone- 


20  CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 

quarry,  kindly  opened  the  house  for  us,  and  showed 
the  neglected  rooms  where  once  courtesy,  and  talent, 
and  patriarchial  dignity  of  the  ministry  of  a  past 
generation  had  shed  light  on  the  now  dusty  walls. 

The  two  boys  saw,  but  felt  none  of  these  things. 
True,  it  was  where  their  great-grandfather  had 
lived,  but,  out  o'  doors  were  the  trees  to  climb, 
and  the  hillside  to  romp  on,  and  the  quaint  dairy- 
house  at  the  foot,  by  which  sped  the  brook  that, 
though  generations  had  come  and  gone,  still  sang 
the  same  song  as  it  flowed  "  on  forever,  ever." 

Then,  a  few  miles  east,  down  the  valley,  we  passed 
the  old  stone  church  with  its  open,  square  vestibule. 
Its  door  was  locked,  but  the  new  lecture-room,  close 
■by,  was  open.  In  the  sisterhood  of  churches  of 
that  region,  how  that  Great  Valley  Church  has 
sadly  lost  its  eminence !  Once  strong  and  vigor- 
ous and  famous  ;  now,  as  the  children  of  the  old 
families  of  the  valley  moved  to  the  cities,  carrying 
with  them  their  ancestral  wealth,  their  broad  lands, 
passing  into  less  cultured  hands,  were  cut  up  into 
smaller  farms  for  foreigners,  often  ignorant  or  irre- 
ligious, or  others  not  of  the  once-dominant  Presby- 
terian element.  And  the  strong  old  church  has 
become  weak  under  an  inevitable  decay  which  Dr, 
Latta's  able  successors  could  not  stop. 

But  the  graveyard  was  there,  with  its  precious 
record  of  the  work  of  tlic  past.  And  we  entered 
it,   while   the   boys   played   hide-and-seek   in   and 


A   HOMESTEAD.  21 

around  the  benches  of  the  lecture-room,  with  the 
daughter  of  a  physician  Hving  hard  by, — a  little 
Mary,  whose  vivacity  strangely  recalled  another 
little  Mary,  whose  ancestors  lay  buried  there. 

There  was  Rev.  Dr.  Win.  Latta's  pulpit-shaped 
monument  covered  by  an  open  Bible,  on  whose 
two  pages  were  carved  the  entire  twenty-third 
Psalm.  "The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not 
want,"  was  a  promise  of  covenant  grace  his  own 
ancestors  had  well  proved.  This  tall  obelisk  is  a 
memorial  of  one  of  his  sons,  Mrs.  Nassau's  father, 
Dr.  James  F.  Latta, — a  genial,  ambitious,  talented 
student  and  honored  graduate  of  Dickinson  Col- 
lege,— an  enthusiast  in  his  profession  at  the  medical 
department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  a 
heart  tender  and  loving  and  poetic,  but  brave  for 
everything  that  was  manly,  and  true  for  everything 
that  was  Christian.  There,  too,  were  the  graves 
of  Mrs.  Nassau's  mother  and  two  brothers,  Samuel 
and  William. 

Then  we  turned  up  a  road  by  one  side  of  the 
valley  toward  a  rough-cast  stone  house,  about  five 
miles  from  the  old  Latta  homestead.  This  was 
Dr.  J.  F.  Latta's  residence,  prepared  for  his  bride, 
Miss  Lydia  Ledley  Moore,  only  child  of  Jonathan 
Moore,  M.D.,  of  Deerfield,  Cumberland  Co.,  N.  J., 
who  had  been  brought  up  in  Philadelphia  in  the 
family  of  her  paternal  uncle,  Samuel  Moore,  M.D., 
late  director  of  the  United  States  Mint,  in  the  com- 

3 


22  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

pany  of  her  cousins,  Mrs.  Mary  Finlcy  and  Mrs. 
Surgeon-General  C.  L.  Finley. 

This  was  Mrs.  Nassau's  first  home ;  not  indeed 
her  birth-place,  for  she  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
during  her  parents'  temporary  stay  there  (as  a  relic 
visiting-card  describes),  at  the  "  corner  of  Madison 
and  Vine,  near  Twelfth  Street,"  whence  they  had 
returned  to  the  valley  when  she  was  a  few  months 
old.  And  that  stone  house,  with  the  willows  in 
front,  was  the  home  of  her  earliest  infancy.  The 
trees  are  the  same, — her  little  hands  had  probably 
clutched  the  sweeping  branches  of  these  willows 
as  did  her  children  this  day.  They  peeped  down 
the  deep,  unfailing  well,  and  twirled  the  handle  to 
see  the  evolution  of  the  rope,  and  drank  from  the 
bucket  the  ice-cold  water,  all  as  she  had  done. 
There  were  the  fruit-trees,  and  perhaps  some  of 
those  peonies  in  the  back  garden  she  may  have 
plucked  "  in  childish  glee."  But  everything  else 
offence,  or  path,  or  adornment  of  window,  cornice, 
or  door  was  changed;  and  the  denial  of  our  request 
to  enter  farther  than  the  front  door  probably  saved 
the  revelation  of  greater  alteration  in  that  early 
home.  Here  her  affectionate  parents  had  lived, — 
her  father,  devoted  to  his  profession,  successfully 
practiced  his  skill, — here  her  two  brothers  were 
born;  and  that  father,  from  the  effects  of  exposure 
in  the  beginning  of  his  practice,  had  early  died, 
when  she  was  in  her  fifth  year. 


A   HOMESTEAD. 


23 


The  widowed  mother,  with  her  three  little  ones 
and  her  own  aged  mother,  remained  for  two  years 
on  the  farm  at  the  stone  house,  and  then  disposing 
of  the  property  rented  the  "  Academy"  building. 
This  was  a  select  school  located  some  five  miles, 
up  the  valley,  from  Dr.  J.  F,  Latta's  house,  and  a 
mile  beyond  the  Latta  homestead.  It  was  used  as 
a  dwelling  successively  by  different  persons,  who, 
like  Mrs.  Latta,  without  having  any  connection 
with  the  institution,  boarded  the  teacher,  whose 
school-room  occupied  one-half  of  the  first  floor.  It 
stands  on  the  old  Lancaster  turnpike ;  a  strong 
stone  double  house,  with  lindens  and  paper-mul- 
berries in  front.  We  entered  what  was  once  the 
school- room;  half  of  it  was  partitioned  off  as  a 
kitchen.  We  went  into  the  room  where  she  had 
sat  as  a  day-scholar,  and  stood  where  her  little 
feet  had  stood  in  the  spelling-class,  and  spoke  to 
the  walls  that  had  responded  to  the  first  literary 
utterances  of  a  mind  whose  after-accomplishments 
gilded  every  life  touched  by  her  own. 

Thus  we  lingered  during  two  days,  about  spots 
so  changed  in  outward  form  that  some  of  them, 
like  withered  roses,  had  only  their  memories  to 
make  them  beautiful,  and  in  the  evenings  sat  on 
the  piazza  of  our  hospitable  friends'  house,  where, 
while  the  children  played  about  the  roots  of  the 
huge,  ivy-clad  sycamores,  tales  were  told  of  their 
mother's  childhood  in  that  "  Happy  Valley." 


24 


CROWNED  IN  PALM- LAND. 


In  that  brook  down  in  the  meadow, — shallow  in 
summer,  a  torrent  in  spring, — divested  of  shoes 
and  stockings  she  had  waded,  splashed  the  cobble- 
stones in  its  pebbly  bed,  and  built  mud-dams. 

One  of  those  cherry-trees  in  front  of  the  porch 
had  its  story  of  climbings;  for,  even  when  she  was 
no  longer  a  child  but  a  young  lady  at  school,  her 
heart  had  all  the  freshness  and  mirth  of  childhood, 
and  on  occasions,  or  in  company  where  permis- 
sible, would  enjoy  itself  unrestrained. 

Of  that  cool  dairy,  where  the  water  bubbled  up 
as  joyously  as  did  the  merry  laugh  that  even  in 
Africa  never  failed,  she  herself  had  often  told  me. 
The  privations  of  our  African  home  and  table  were 
often  enlivened  by  descriptions,  not  regretful  or 
complaining,  of  the  luxuries  of  Pennsylvania  coun- 
try milk  and  cream,  its  generous  slices  of  fresh 
wheat-bread  and  unstinted  spread  of  sweet  yellow 
butter.  And  among  the  plannings  for  that  mythical 
time  "  when  we  should  be  sick  enough  to  have  to 
go  to  America,"  was  a  visit  to  hospitable  Chester 
County  homes  and  their  appetizing  bread  and 
butter. 

" like  a  just-departing  child, 

Who  lingers  on  the  threshold  of  his  home, 

Strive,  with  vague  murmurings  and  lingering  looks, 

To  store  up  what  were  sweetest  to  recall." 


A    CHILD. 


25 


CHAPTER    III. 

A    CHILD. 

1842-1852.     At  Honeybrook. 

"  Light,  winged  Hopes,  that  come  when  bid, 
And  rainbow  Joys  that  end  in  weeping." 

Children  make  history;  but  it  is  mostly  un- 
written. Therefore,  whether  it  be  only  as  trifling 
as  a  feather,  or  as  valuable  as  an  Alexandrian 
Library,  it  is  unknown  or  forgotten.  And  it  passes 
away  with  those  who  loved, — and  therefore  would 
be  most  interested  in  its  preservation, — as  one  by 
one  they  enter  their  graves.  Childhood's  thoughts 
prresage  its  future.  They  should  not  be  regarded 
as  insignificant,  unless  they  fail  either  to  be  recog- 
nized by  every  child  as  its  own,  or  to  serve  as 
indices  of  opening  character. 

After  his  death  some  of  Dr.  Latta's  poor  patients, 
from  force  of  habit  and  sure  of  a  kindly  word, 
continued  to  go  to  "  the  Doctor's  house"  with 
their  minor  wounds  or  other  small  ailments ;  and 
the  physician's  widow,  under  the  stress  of  a  sym- 
pathizing nature,  would  apply  a  bandage  or  give 
some   simple  remedy.      Little    Mary,  or — as  her 

3* 


26  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

relations  called  her — "  Molly,"  sharing  in  this 
sympathy  and  desire  to  relieve  pain,  would  assist. 
Doubtless  in  this  slight  beginning  was  laid  the 
taste  and  tact  and  skfll  in  therapeutic  knowledge 
which,  enlarging  itself  afterward  by  medical  read- 
ing, enabled  her,  in  Africa,  to  guard  her  own 
health  and  relieve  the  sicknesses  of  others. 

Riding  with  her  paternal  uncle,  Rev.  W.  W. 
Latta,  one  day,  she  startled  him  with  a  question 
whose  defective  theology  must  be  laid  to  a  child's 
logic  and  not  to  her  Westminster  Catechism  : 
"Uncle,  didn't  God  make  all  things?" 

"  Yes,  Molly,  all  things." 

"  Didn't  He  make  people  ?" 

"  Yes,  all  people." 

"Well,  uncle,  what  will  people  do  when  God 
dies  ?" 

One  day,  while  reading  aloud,  she  came  upon 
the  word  "  laugh"  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence,  a 
part  of  which  might  be  something  like,  "  love  to 
laugh  and  play."  She  had  been  reading  in  the 
droning  monotone  of  a  beginner,  hesitating  on 
almost  every  word,  and  stopping  to  spell  the  larger 
ones.  The  looks  of  the  word  ImigJi  did  not  suit 
her  ideas  of  orthography,  and  she  interjected  into 
the  reading  a  criticism, — letters,  and  words,  and 
criticism  being  uttered  without  notice  of  punctua- 
tion, and  in  the  same  unvaried  tone,  as  if  they 
were  all  one  long  word: — "  Love-to-1-a-u-g-h-but- 


A    CHILD. 


V 


it-ought-to-be-1-a-f-f-and-play." — ^Her  face,  mean- 
while, as  imperturbed  and  serious  as  if  she  were 
announcing  a  new  discovery  in  philology. 

Quiet  Molly  at  the  day-school  would  probably 
not  be  remembered  among  the  mass  of  his  pupils 
by  her  teacher  (who  is  now  an  Episcopal  clergy- 
man) ;  but  she  was  a  favorite  among  her  young 
playmates.  Once,  when  either  neglectfully  she 
had  failed  to  write  in  her  copy-book  or  heedlessly 
had  blotted  it,  he  required  her  as  a  punishment  to 
carry  the  book  around  the  room  to  each  pupil  and 
show  the  faulty  page.  She  obeyed.  But  most  of 
the  children,  particularly  the  boys,  lightened  the 
ordeal  for  her  by  keeping  on  at  their  own  tasks, 
quietly  refusing  to  look  on  her  disgrace. 

One  of  childhood's  pleasures  was  to  visit  on 
Saturdays  at  the  homestead, — enjoy  the  indul- 
gences of  aunts, — and  ride  with  her  grandfather 
Latta  on  his  afternoon  preaching  services  in  the 
school-houses.  The  feet  of  life's  travelers  may 
have  trod  a  long  way  between  the  termini  of  the 
journey,  but  life's  track  turns  on  itself  and  brings 
the  grave  near  the  cradle,  so  that  the  last  words  of 
the  aged  entering  the  one  are  often  the  first  that 
were  uttered  when  leaving  the  other.  In  the  last 
weary  year  of  her  life  Mrs.  Nassau's  memory 
turned  brightly  and  lovingly  to  those  days  with 
her  grandfather ;  I  remember  her  recounting  in 
detail  the  visits  and  rides  and  chats, — not  forget- 


28  CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 

ting  the  cakes  that  served  as  lunch  on  the  way  to 
meeting. 

Calmness  in  danger  was  marked  even  in  child- 
hood. Riding  with  her  uncle,  who  was  driving  a 
horse  in  whose  acquaintance  with  railroad  cars  he 
had  not  confidence,  as  the  carriage  approached  a 
train  at  a  crossing,  he  said,  with  some  anxiety 
himself,  and  to. prepare  her  for  any  supposed  alarm 
on  her  part,  "  Now,  Molly,  I  fear  we'll  have  a  little 
trouble  here." 

"  Why,  uncle,  perhaps  it  won't  be  as  bad  as  you 
think." 

In  1844,  when  Molly  was  seven  years  old,  her 
mother,  after  occupying  "  the  Academy"  for  a 
year,  left  it,  and  with  her  children  removed  to 
Waynesburg,  Honeybrook  P.O.,  some  twenty-two 
miles  distant,  in  the  same  county;  where  she  built 
a  home  opposite  the  parsonage  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  Rev.  W,  W.  Latta  was  then 
pastor. 

There  the  little  girl's  uneventful  life  was  filled 
by  childhood's  joys  and  sorrows;  roving  with  her 
brothers  and  cousins  on  their  jaunts  through  the 
woods  and  meadows;  with  them  jumping  ditches, 
and  mounting  fences,  and  climbing  trees.  She 
bore  conspicuously  through  all  her  after-life  a  scar 
that  marked  where,  in  falling  from  a  tree-top,  a 
lower  limb  had  cut  her  under-jaw.  But  her  cousins 
remember  her  not  so  much  for  her  own  merriment 


A    CHILD. 


29 


in  those  days,  as  for  being  leader  and  inventor  of 
plans  in  which  they  found  theirs.  And  often,  in- 
stead of  joining  in  their  romping  play,  she  pre- 
ferred to  sit  down  with  an  interesting  story-book. 
Her  studiousness  was  gathering  that  fund  of  in- 
formation which,  with  a  retentive  memory  and  ready 
utterance,  afterward  made  her  a  centre  of  attraction 
to  children  listening  to  her  narrations. 

Her  widowed  mother's  self-reliance  in  the  direc- 
tion of  her  house  and  family  seems  to  have 
impressed  itself,  so  that  on  occasions  when  other 
children  would  have  been  discomposed  or  power- 
less through  fear,  she  was  self-possessed. 

When  she  was  about  eight  years  old  she  was 
returning  with  a  family  party  consisting,  besides 
herself  and  Grandmother  Latta,  of  some  married 
cousins  and  their  children.  They  were  on  the 
railway  from  the  Valley  to  Downingtown,  whence 
they  were  to  proceed  by  stage  to  Waynesburg, — 
the  present  branch  road  thither  not  then  having 
been  built.  In  the  confusion  of  the  change  at 
Downingtown,  her  aged  grandmother,  supposing 
her,  like  the  Virgin's  Child  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago  at  Jerusalem,  "  to  have  been  in  the  company," 
alighted,  and  little  Molly  was  carried  on  by  the 
train  on  its  way  to  Parkesburg.  She  was  imme- 
diately followed  by  telegram,  and  was  returned  by 
the  next  train  to  Downingtown  and  her  distressed 
grandparent.     The  rest  of  the  party  had  already 


30  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

n 

left  on  the  stage  for  Waynesburg,  where  they  judi- 
ciously concealed  the  exact  cause  of  delay  from 
her  most  affectionate  mother,  and  her  uncle  drove 
over  to  the  station  for  her.  She  narrated  that, 
when  the  train  moved  away  with  her,  she  recalling 
the  localities  on  the  road,  and  the  fact  that  her 
grand-uncle.  Rev.  James  Latta,  was  residing  at 
Parkesburg,  had  felt  at  ease,  determining  to  alight 
there  and  find  her  way  to  his  house,  and  so  had 
"just  sat  still  in  my  seat"  until  the  conductor,  in 
making  his  rounds,  had  discovered  her  situation. 

In  after-years  in  Africa,  on  a  two-months'  jour- 
ney at  sea  to  England  on  the  way  to  America, 
comforting  herself  for  the  discomforts  of  the  voy- 
age, she  wrote  in  her  journal,  under  date  of  August 
14,  1863,  an  incident  of  this  period  of  her  life: 
"  When  I  was  a  little  girl  and  visited  with  my 
mother  in  Philadelphia,  we  always  stayed  at  the 
Misses  Hardie's.   There  was  an  old  lady  living  with 

them  named  Miss  Margaret ,  for  whom  I  had 

little  fondness,  and  who  had  little  fondness  for 
children.  Observing  my  dislike  of  many  kinds  of 
food,  she  used  to  tell  me,  by  way  of  reproof  and 
warning,  the  sad  story  of  a  gentleman  whom  she 
had  known.  This  gentleman  had  been  used  to 
say  that  of  all  things  he  would  or  could  never  cat 
fat  pork  or  cold  potatoes.  The  British  took  him 
prisoner,  and  he  was  confined  in  one  of  their  dread- 
ful prison-ships,  and  he  was  so  reduced  by  starva- 


A    CHILD. 


31 


tion  that  he  became  thankful  even  for  bits  of  salt 
pork  and  cold  potato.  I  suppose  I  never  made 
any  reply  to  the  story,  but  I  know  I  thought  in 
my  own  mind  that  cold  potatoes  were  not  very 
dreadful  things ;  but  as  for  fat  pork  or  any  other 
kind  of  fat  I  never  should  be  brought  to  touching 
it.  Yet  here  I  am  eating  every  day  fat  beef  or 
pork  as  a  relish  to  my  baked  potato.  I  take  very 
little  bits  I  can  assure  you  ;  but  still  I  like  the  fat 
for  dinner  with  my  potato.  Poor  Miss  Margaret ! 
She  had  her  room  in  the  third  story,  and  I  used  to 
look  with  dread  on  the  very  stairs  that  led  up  to 
it.  She  is  dead  now ;  but  the  Misses  Hardie  are 
living  in  West  Philadelphia,  and  I  expect  they  will 
be  delighted  to  see  me  for  my  mother's  sake,  if 
not  my  own." 

At  Waynesburg,  she  with  her  brothers  and 
cousins  were  under  the  private  tuition  of  Miss 
Maria  Irvine,  now  Mrs.  Rev.  George  Matthews  of 
New  York  City.  This  protected  period  of  life, 
which  any  child  in  a  similarly  privileged  station 
can  fill  from  its  own  history,  occupied  the  eight 
years  of  girlhood,  so  formative  for  good  or  evil. 
The  modest,  studious  little  Molly  had  grown  up 
under  the  careful,  judicious,  tender  hands  of  gov- 
erness, uncle,  and  mother,  into  the  young  girl  of 
fifteen,  intelligent,  well-read,  vivacious. 

Orphanage  might  be  called  hereditary  to  Mrs. 
Nassau.    Her  mother,  an  only  child,  was  fatherless 


32 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


in  earliest  infancy.  And  the  same  shadow  of 
orphanage  was  about  to  fall  on  her  daughter's  life. 
In  ]\Iay,  1852,  Mrs.  Latta  took  Molly  and  her 
brother  Samuel  through  Philadelphia  on  a  western 
journey  to  visit  cousins  in  Hannibal,  Mo.  There, 
while  in  the  family  of  a  distant  connection,  Mr. 
Meredith,  Mrs.  Latta  was  seized  with  dysentery, 
and,  after  an  illness  of  two  weeks,  died  peacefully 
June  25,  1852.  The  children  received  the  care  of 
their  mother's  relative,  Clement  L.  Finley,  late  Sur- 
geon-General U.S.A.,  then  stationed  at  St.  Louis. 

In  the  following  September  Mary  returned  east 
to  Waynesburg,  where — though  in  the  family  and 
care  of  her  uncle,  to  whom  she  afterward  looked 
and  felt  as  to  a  father — she  was  the  nominal  ward 
of  Mr.  David  Buchanan,  the  executor  of  her 
mother's  property. 

The  effects  of  this  orphanage,  occurring  at  the 
limit  of  her  girlhood  life,  was  felt  in  the  immedi- 
ately subsequent  years,  while  that  girlhood  was 
rising  into  womanhood,  when  the  judicious  counsel 
and  advice  of  a  prudent  mother  are  so  much 
needed.  She  saw  the  need  herself;  and  often  in 
Africa  referred  to  events  in  which  she  had  sadly 
felt  their  want.  A  constant  Psalm  with  her  was 
the  twenty-seventh. 

"  Visions  of  Childhood  !   stay,  oh,  stay  ! 
j        Ye  were  so  sweet  and  wild  ! 

And  distant  voices  seem  to  say, 

'  It  cannot  be  !  They  jiabs  away  !'  " 


A   SCHOOL-GIRL.  33 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A    SCHOOL-GIRL. 

1852-1855.     At  Norristown. 

"  Bear  through  sorrow,  wrong,  and  ruth, 
In  thy  heart  the  dew  of  youth. 
On  thy  lips  the  smile  of  truth." 

In  November,  1852,  orphan  Mary  took  her  place 
with  other  young  ladies  as  a  pupil  in  the  Oakland 
Female  Institute  of  Rev.  J.  Grier  Ralston,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  Norristown,  Pennsylvania. 

The  impression  received  of  her  by  her  school- 
mates differed  on  some  points,  according  to  their 
degree  of  intimacy,  or  as  they  saw  her  in  the  rela- 
tions of  classmate,  playmate,  or  room-mate.  A 
lady  in  Chester,  Delaware  county,  Pennsylvania, 
sought  me  after  a  public  missionary  address  and 
made  herself  known  as  a  school-  (not  class-)  mate 
of  Mary  Latta,  and  said  that,  though  so  immersed 
in  the  occupations  of  her  household  that  she  had 
forgotten  even  the  names  of  some  of  her  own  class, 
she  remembered  Mary's  face  distinctly.  Not  being 
so  intimate  with  her  as  were  others,  she  was  not 
impressed  with  a  memory  of  her  as  a  special  lover 

4 


34 


CROWNED   IN  PALM' LAND. 


of  frolic,  at  least  of  tricks  that  were  "  mean,"  nor  as 
confining  herself  to  cliques,  but  as  having  kind- 
ness for  all.  She  remembered  her  as  a  close  and 
diligent  student  in  the  school-room.  To  Mary's 
room  she  and  others  used  to  go  on  Sabbath  morn- 
ing to  study  the  Bible-lesson  together.  She  spoke 
of  her  conscientiousness,  and  had,  until  I  in- 
formed her  otherwise,  always  supposed  she  was 
then  a  professing  Christian ;  and  had  looked  on 
her  as  one  whom  she  would  have  supposed  might 
choose  a  missionary  life. 

Another  lady,  during  part  of  the  school-course 
a  classmate,  who  knew  Mary  more  intimately, 
spoke  much  in  the  same  strain,  especially  of  the 
easy  precedence  that  was  taken  in  the  recitation- 
room,  but  was  aware  of  her  not  being  at  that  time 
a  professing  Christian. 

Another,  who  sat  on  the  opposite  side,  but  at 
the  same  end  of  the  school-room,  spoke  of  the 
"  sunlight  face"  Mary  bore  as  she  entered  the 
rooms ;  of  her  vivacity  ;  and  of  the  wonderful  tales 
she  invented  for  the  amusement  of  the  younger 
pupils. 

The  picture  of  her  character,  as  reported  by  her 
mates,  could  not  be  true  if  it  did  not  admit  that 
this  vivacity  sometimes  forgot  time  and  place,  and 
left  a  mark  on  the  teacher's  record-book.  But 
fault  was  coupled  only  with  truth  and  candor, 
never  with  subterfuge  or  malice. 


A   SCHOOL-GIRL. 


35 


Mary  Latta's  after-success  in  Africa  as  a  trans- 
lator of  poetry  showed  her  possession  of  musical 
taste,  and  she  had  an  ear  that  enjoyed  and  com- 
mended some  as  distinctly  as  it  condemned  other 
music  without  being  able  to  tell  why ;  but  she 
could  not  sing  at  all.  This  her  school-companions 
well  knew,  and  it  often  afforded  them  amusement 
in  their  recreation-hours,  when,  after  others  had 
been  using  piano  or  voice,  she  would  say,  "  Now, 
girls,  I  am  a-going  to  sing !"  Thereupon  seating 
herself  at  the  piano  she  would  improvise  rhymes, 
singing  and  accompanying  herself  in  a  manner  in- 
imitable. 

Her  vacations  were  passed  at  her  uncle's  home, 
in  Waynesburg,  or  with  school-mates,  visiting 
their  homes  (numerous  visits  at  Abington,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  one  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  in  De- 
cember, 1853,  being  pleasantly  remembered);  and 
with  her  relations  in  the  Valley. 

On  one  of  these  visits  to  the  Valley  in  company 
of  two  of  her  anxiously-careful  aunts,  the  pre- 
scribed time  for  return  to  school  had  come.  Not 
quite  satisfied  with  the  day's  enjoyment,  she  wanted 
more.  Another  relation  gave  friendly  connivance 
to  a  plan  to  accomplish  that  object.  The  railroad 
track  passed  only  a  few  rods  from  the  front  of  the 
house,  and  at  the  little  way-station  the  train  barely 
stopped  before  it  would  be  again  in  motion.  Her 
aunts  were  ready  at  the  gate  and  anxiously  urging 


36  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

against  her  apparent  slowness.  The  slowness  was 
necessitated  by  a  search  in  the  house  for  her  watch, 
which,  according  to  plan,  was  discovered  just  in 
time  for  her  to  see  her  aunts  step  on  the  train  and 
herself  left  behind.  Then  back  to  her  room  to  doff 
the  city  garb  and  don  a  dress  that  thorns  could  not 
spoil  nor  stains  ruin,  and  in  a  trice  she  was  up 
a  cherry-tree,  disputing  its  fruit  with  the  merry 
robins.  The  after-confession  of  her  ruse  gave  to 
her  aunts  as  much  pleasure  as  its  successful  con- 
summation afforded  herself 

One  of  Mary's  room-mates  has  kindly  permitted 
the  insertion  of  portions  of  a  letter  (the  only  one 
in  her  possession  of  many  received),  written  to 
herself  during  a  vacation.  It  is  characteristic,  and 
—  as  intended — well  burlesques  school-girl  ex- 
travagance of  language. 

"  Waynesburg,  April  12,  1854. 

"  My  Lovely,  Adorable,  Charming,  Darling, 

Dearest,  Precious,  Bewitching  L (Did  you 

ever  peruse  that  enchanting  work  *  Mary  De  Clif- 
ford ?') : 

"  Having  finished  a  letter  to  Hannah ,  taken 

passage  on  the  sofa  to  '  the  land  of  Nod,'  inter- 
rupted in  my  journey  by  a  knock  at  the  door;  in- 
formed my  aunt  that  there  was  a  woman  (I  did  not 
think  her  a  lady)  to  see  her ;  put  on  a  hat  of  in- 
describable color,  which  one  of  brothers  had  cast 


A   SCHOOL-GIRL. 


)7 


aside  as  unfit  for  use,  and  which  I  had  fished  out  of 
a  dark  hole,  and  decorated  with  ribbons,  rosette, 
and  a  feather ;  started  for  the  store  in  quest  of 
paper;  astonished  the  natives  by  singular  head- 
dress ;  came  home  again ;  went  in  the  study,  and 
that  ivoinan  was  introduced   to  me  (imagine  my 

surprise)  as  my  cousin,  Mrs. ;  whereupon  I 

seized  pen  and  ink  and  made  a  more  hasty  than 
polite  retreat  to  the  kitchen,  as  the  only  other 
place  where  I  could  find  a  comfortable  fire  (there 
comes  my  brother  for  me  to  commence  him  a  fish- 
ing-net), wrote  a  letter  to  M H ;  and  now 

I  am  seated  on  a  step  of  the  stairs  writing  on  a 
tall  bench  (at  least  I  was  when  I  commenced  this 
sentence),  being  prevented  from  retreating  to  the 
study  after  my  cousin  of  the  forty-second  degree 
had  left,  by  hearing  some  one  say  they  were  going 
to  wash  the  windows,  which  was  my  first  disagree- 
able reminder  that  there  was  a  kind  of  half  house- 
cleaning  going  on  in  preparing  for  Presbytery, 
which  meets  here  next  week ;  but  since  I  bestowed 
that  long  string  of  adjectives  on  your  name,  I  have 
commenced  a  net  for  Samuel,  eaten  mj'  supper, 
and  removed  to  the  room  where  they  are  all  talk- 
ing about  funerals, — which  is  enough  to  give  one 
the  blues ;  and  having  no  doubt  pleased  you  by 
writing  such  a  long  sentence,  and  thereby  remind- 
ing you  of 's  composition  that  you  hon- 
ored by  reading,  and  having  violated  all  the  rules  of 


38 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


rhetoric,  and  of  everything  else,  it  would  be  better 
to  have  a  period  somewhere  on  the  second  page. 

"  My  head  is  never  very  full  of  ideas,  and  at  pres- 
ent it  is  peculiarly  empty,  but  as  neither  pen  nor 
ink  has  the  happy  faculty  of  suggesting  anything 
to  say,  and  on  asking  some  one  what  to  put  in  a 
letter,  she  said,  tell  you  there  had  been  seven 
funerals,  four  on  the  other  side  and  three  on  this  ; 
on  inquiry,  the  line  that  divided  the  deaths  proved 
to  be  the  Welsh  Mountain,  which  you  need  not 
take  the  map  to  find,  as  it  would  be  too  much 
trouble,  though  I  ought  not  to  think  your  inquir- 
ing mind  would  suffer  any  obstacle  to  "  impede 
your  search  after  truth."  Aunt  Mary  Ann  is  telling 
a  long  story  about  some  good  boy  that  would  not 
not  fight,  which  I  suppose  is  intended  for  the  benefit 
of  my  brother  Sam,  who  listens  very  patiently  until 
she  is  done,  and  then  asks '  how  the  man  who  makes 
those  stories  can  manufacture  such  a  variety.'  .  .   . 

Now,  L ,  what  in  the  world  am  I  to  say,  and 

how  are  these  four  pages  to  be  filled  up  ?  Oh, 
dear !  you  are  not  here  to  answer  the  question, 
and  if  you  were  there  would  be  no  need  of  an 
answer. 

"  I  hope  Mrs.  Brown  will  have  our  matting  down, 
and  we  can  decide  when  we  get  there  which  curtain 
will  be  put  up  first,  though  I  think  your  white  one 
will  look  the  prettiest.  Then  we  must  certainly 
have  a-towel-rack,and  our  spread  is  to  be  white.    I 


A   SCHOOL-GIRL. 


39 


bought  three  plates  to-day,  one  common-sized  tea- 
plate,  and  two  smaller  ones.  Will  you  bring  a 
saucer,  if  you  think  we  need  it?  and  a  knife — and 
don't  forget  that  Commentary,  whatever  you  do. 

"  Imagine  our  being  detained  in  Bible-class,  and 
having  to  spend  Sabbath  afternoon  in  the  study : 

*  Miss ,  how  was  the  world  created  ?'    'Out  of 

the  dust  of  the  earth.'  '  Miss  Latta,  what  is  the 
Sixth  Commandment  ?'  '  Multiply  and  replenish 
the  earth.'  I  think,  on  the  whole,  we  would  have 
an  exceedingly  interesting  time.  .  .  .  If  you  have 

given  up  the  ghost  when  this  arrives  at  W , 

just  send  it  back  again,  for  no  other  eyes  than 
yours  are  worthy  to  decipher  these  hieroglyphics. 
.  .  .   Good-night,  I  am  going  to  sleep  on  this. 

"  Another  twenty-four  hours  have  passed,  and 
neither  night-time  nor  the  daylight  had  any  more 
tendency  to  breed  ideas  than  the  sun's  rays  have 
to  breed  eyes.  My  thoughts  rest  ever  most  assur- 
edly on  my  dearest  L ,  and  my  earnest  desire 

is  to  gaze  with  rapture  once  more  on  thy  beauti- 
ful countenance.  .  .  .  Verily,  I  will  corrupt  your 
morals  before  long,  and  it  is  well  that  my  paper  is 
nearly  out. 

"Yours,  most  devotedly, 

"  Mary." 

The  accurate  fac-simile  of  her  autograph  reveals 
a  trait  that,  in   dress  and  manner,  appeared,   in 


40 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


womanhood,  as  a  freshness  and  charming  unre- 
straint, but  in  school-days  some  would  have  called 
neglif^ence  or  recklessness.  Her  room-mates  re- 
membered that,  perhaps  when  dusting  the  room, 
or  arranging  the  bed,  she  might,  as  likely  as  not, 
be  found  attired  in  her  best  dress. 

On  one  of  her  vacation  visits  to  Waynesburg 
there  was  a  Sabbath-school  picnic,  attended  by  all 
the  children  of  the  church,  and  many  others  not 
connected  with  any  church  organization.  Teach- 
ers with  their  several  classes  were  to  form  in  pro- 
cession at  a  certain  grove,  and  there  was  a  friendly 
rivalry  among  the  children  to  see  which  class 
should  have  the  finest  flags  and  banners.  One 
unfortunate  class,  which  either  had  no  teacher  to 
aid  them,  or  were  too  poor  to  obtain  any  decora- 
tions, were,  of  course,  wishing  to  share  in  the  feast, 
but  were  in  despair  as  to  their  personal  appear- 
ance. Mary  heard  of  it  on  the  morning  of  the 
very  day,  and  with  the  aid  of  one  of  her  cousins 
concocted  a  gay  banner  that  entirely  filled  the  best 
wishes  of  that  class.  The  fame  of  that  banner  was 
spoken  of  many  years  afterward,  linked  with  the 
name  of  the  good  fairy  who  had  sped  to  the  rescue 
of  the  distressed  little  ones. 

"  Where'er  I  tro  I've  a  smile  for  all." 


A    TEACHER.  41 


CHAPTER   V. 

A   TEACHER. 

1855-1860.     Trenton.     Chestnut  Hill. 

"  Dreamt  out  the  scholar's  dream,  and  then  away 
On  troubled  seas  went  voyaging  with  Care." 

Having  completed  the  three  years'  course  of 
study  at  Oakland,  Miss  Latta  graduated  in  Sep- 
tember, 1855;  and  in  the  October  immediately 
succeeding,  her  energy  seeking  work,  her  taste  for 
books  and  her  love  for  youth  selected  a  teacher's 
task  as  assistant  in  the  Female  Boarding-School 
of  the  Misses  Beatty  in  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  her 
attention  being  directed  to  that  city  by  the  resi- 
dence there  of  distant  relatives  of  her  mother,  and 
also  of  two  or  three  of  her  Oakland  companions. 
Beyond  these,  confinement  to  her  duties  prevented 
the  making  of  new  acquaintances ;  so  that  prob- 
ably few  in  Trenton,  other  than  her  pupils,  remem- 
ber her  year's  stay  there.  Her  very  few  new 
acquaintances  were  among  the  teachers  of  the  Nor- 
mal School,  whose  cultivated  society  she  sought, 
and  others,  members  of  the  Third   Presbyterian 


42 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


Church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Jacob  Kirk- 
patrick,  Jr.,  on  whose  ministrations  she  attended. 

Some  of  those  who  saw  her  there  as  a  faithful 
and  regular  worker  in  Sabbath-school,  prayer- 
meeting,  district-collecting,  and  other  church  work, 
may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  she  was  not  then  a 
professing  Christian.  Even  had  she  been,  her  out- 
ward life  could  have  shown  to  others  in  no  respects 
a  more  consistent  and  conscientious  walk.  But  to 
approach  or  be  approached  in  conversation  on  per- 
sonal religion  was  difficult.  She  remembered  and 
ever  spoke  with  affection  of  the  faithful  and  judi- 
cious words  of  Mr.  Kirkpatrick's  dealing  with  her 
as  a  pastor. 

In  April,  1856,  she  was  led  to  see  the  obligation 
of  publicly  acknowledging  the  Saviour  whom  se- 
cretly she  loved.  Circumstances  prevented  com- 
pliance with  this  duty  until  a  year  and  a  half  later. 

The  pall  of  sorrow  again  fell  on  her.  Her 
"  dear  brother"  Samuel  died  in  his  eighteenth  year, 
on  the  i6th  of  September,  1856,  from  the  results 
of  an  accidental  internal  injury  received  from  a 
playmate  at  school  in  Chester  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  had  been  her  companion  and  favorite 
brother.  To  her  younger  and  only  remaining 
brother,  "  dear  Willie,"  her  affection  partook 
somewhat  of  a  mother's  thoughtfulness ;  and  her 
sisterly  tendrils  sought  and  received  sympathy 
from,  and  clung  to  others. 


A    TEACHER. 


43 


Miss  Latta  closed  her  connection  with  the  Misses 
Beatty's  school  about  January,  1857,  and,  returning 
to  her  uncle's  home,  was  for  the  next  six  months 
in  various  places  for  rest  and  recreation :  in  Feb- 
ruary, at  her  maternal  cousins  Finley's,  in  Philadel- 
phia ;  in  March,  at  Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey,  to 
see  her  brother  William  in  the  semi-annual  exam- 
inations and  declamations  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hamill's 
Classical  and  Commercial  High  School. 

During  the  religious  interest  in  her  uncle's 
Waynesburg  charge  in  the  following  summer,  she 
took  her  stand  for  Christ ;  and  on  November  i  of 
the  following  autumn  claimed,  for  the  first  time,  her 
right  to  the  Lord's  Table.     Her  own  record  is, — 

"  November  9. — Yesterday  week  I  united  with 
the  church  ;"  though  the  entry  on  the  session  book 
of  the  Waynesburg  church  is  made  under  date  of 
November  17. 

From  this  point  began  the  happy  two  and  a  half 
years  at  Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia,  in  charge  of 
a  small  school  under  the  care  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Rev.  Roger  Owen,  D.D.  Its  privacy, 
its  infantile  character, — a  day-school,  attended  only 
by  the  children  of  the  residents  of  "  the  Hill," 
— its  somewhat  parochial  character,  the  respon- 
sibility resting  with  the  church  session,  while  the 
actual  control  lay  in  her  own  hands,  fulfilled  all 
the  conditions  of  success  for  her  special  taste 
and    adaptations.      Her    little    pupils, — now    the 


44 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


young  gentlemen  and  ladies  on  the  Hill, — as  well 
as  their  parents,  remember  her  most  warmly. 

A  correspondence,  from  which  I  am  permitted 
to  make  extracts,  will  best  tell  the  story  of  her  life 
at  Chestnut  Hill. 

'*  HONEYBROOK,  October  9,  1857. 
"...  The  day  I  came  home  from  Philadel- 
phia, a  letter  came  from  Mr.  Owen  at  Chestnut 
Hill,  asking  if  I  would  be  willing  to  take  charge 
of  a  small  school  there.  I  had  intended  remain- 
ing at  home  this  winter,  and  I  hardly  knew  what 
to  say  or  do;  but  finally  I  concluded  it  would  be 
better  to  reply  in  the  affirmative.  I  am  now  ex- 
pecting a  letter  every  mail  containing  particulars 
which  will  enable  me  to  decide  fully  as  to  whether 
I  go  there  or  not," 

A  journal  letter,  to  the  same  friend,  begun  at 
"  Honeybrook,  October  — ,"  and  continued  at 
"  The  Hill,  November  — ,"  says, — 

"  Were  I  to  give  you  the  full  benefit  of  the 
mood  I  am  in  to-night,  I  am  afraid  you  would  not 
thank  me  for  writing.  But,  nevertheless,  as  the 
experiment  is  beginning  to  work  a  cure  already, 
you  cannot  blame  mc  much  more  than  you  would 
thank.  ...  I  am  now,  I  trust,  in  winter  quarters, 
and  ere  the  first  night  is  passed  in  my  new  home 
I  want  to  talk  a  little  while  with  you.     I  am  in  no 


A    TEACHER. 


45 


light  mood,  but  for  the  present  you  shall  be  trou- 
bled with  few  grave  thoughts.  .  .  .  Last  night  and 
to-day  I  spent  at  Mr.  Owen's."  .  .  . 

"  Chestnut  Hill,  November  9,  1S57. 
"  Oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  lonely  I  am,  you 
would  surely  sit  right  down  and  make  such  good 
use  of  your  pen,  that  a  letter  would  reach  me  ere 
many  days.  .  .  .  The  family  of  Mr.  H.,  though  I 
would  like  to  see  more  of  the  married  daughter, 
seem  to  expect  that  I  sit  in  the  parlor  all  alone, 
while  they  occupy  the  sitting-room.  It  is  so  odd, 
— I  never  lived  so  before ;  but  maybe  I  shall  learn 
to  love  solitude  after  awhile.  As  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  discover,  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
family-prayers,  and  that  is  the  only  arrangement 
or  non-arrangement  which  suits  me  badly.  Mr. 
H.  is  Episcopal,  .  .  .  the  daughter  a  Baptist,  and 
her  husband  too,  I  think;  while,  I  am  happy  to 
say,  I  am  a  Presbyterian." 

"  November  1 1 . 

"  I  have  ended  my  second  day's  trial  of  teaching 
here,  and  if  it  is  not  too  soon  to  form  an  opinion, 
I  think  I  shall  like  the  school  very  well.  There 
were  seven  scholars  present  to-day, — two  of  them 
boys  not  yet  out  of  the  alphabet.  The  younger  is 
very  stubborn,  and  has  his  tears  stored  up  in  a  very 
convenient  place  for  use ;    but  I  would  be  better 

5 


46  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

satisfied  if  he  did  not  feel  the  want  of  producing 
them  so  frequently.  One  of  the  Httle  girls  wrig- 
gles about  as  if  quicksilver  were  an  item — and  a 
pretty  large  one,  too — of  her  daily  food ;  but  then, 
she's  so  chubby,  maybe  she  can't  stand  still.  Mr. 
•  Owen  is  so  very  kind,  attending  himself  to  what- 
ever might  give  me  the  least  trouble;  and  I  find 
his  wife  and  sister-in-law  very  pleasant,  too.  The 
latter  lady,  Miss  Lily  McCorkle,  was  seated  but 
two  seats  from  me  in  the  cars  the  day  I  came  to 
Chestnut  Hill.  I  wonder  whether  she  considered 
me  sufficiently  dignified  to  take  charge  of  her 
nieces.  She  asked  me  no  questions  and  I  volun- 
teered no  information.  When  the  cars  stopped  at 
Germantown,  she  came  and  stated  she  was  Mr. 
Owen's  sister-in-law,  supposing  me  to  be  Miss 
Latta.  As  I  had  nothing  to  say  to  the  contrary, 
we  kept  up  a  little  conversation  whenever  the  cars 
stopped, — which  was  about  all  the  time. 

"  I  don't  know  the  way  from  the  depot  to  the 
church,  but  if  you  are  once  in  sight  of  the  church, 
— Presbyterian,  and  it  is  not  far, — any  one  can  tell 
you  the  way  to  Mr.  H.'s  ...  I  have  an  indefinite 
idea  that  the  contents  of  these  sheets  don't  resemble 
each  other  very  much.  Which  do  you  prefer? 
Do  you  know  I  have  four  places  in  my  room  in 
which  to  look  for  robbers  before  I  go  to  bed, — five, 
counting  a  closet  with  shelves  ?  It  is  very  incon- 
venient; but  as  I  didn't  make  the  room,  I  haven't 


A    TEACHER. 


47 


myself  to  blame.  Our  front  door  is  actually  just 
like  the  kind  they  have  on  mills;  but  if  I  want  to 
look  out  I  can  shut  the  lower  half  and  lean  over, 
so  that  is  quite  a  convenience." 

"Chestnut  Hill,  November  12,  1857. 
"...  The  first  hour  after  tea  I  generally  try  to 
do  something  useful,  or  that  ought  to  be  done. 
The  occupation  of  the  next  depends  on  circum- 
stances ;  and  the  last  I  do  as  I  please.  I  have 
about  three  hours  and  a  half  or  four  of  fluid-light, 
and  I  do  wish  I  had  something  to  do.  Were  I 
more  of  an  adept  in  self-discipline  I  might  study, 
but  I  don't  take  any  particular  interest  in  prepar- 
ing lessons  not  to  be  recited.  You  know  my  reso- 
lution not  to  read  any  more  novels  this  year;  broke 
it  lately,  now  (read  one  and  a  half)  feel  bad,  and  so 
on.  Don't  you  think  I  deserve  reproof?  I  wish 
you  would  bestow  a  little  sometimes.  ...  I  had  a 
stove  put  up  in  my  room  to-day,  and  it  is  one  of 
the  most  excitable  little  things  you  ever  saw.  It 
heats  and  cools  so  quickly  that  I  must  get  up 
every  few  moments  to  open  or  shut  the  door.  I 
don't  know  exactly  how  to  manage  it,  but  I  believe 
Mrs.  H.  thinks  that  the  girl's  business,  and  I  am 
heartily  glad  she  does.  .  .  .  When  I  first  '  moved 
in,'  I  had  to  write  on  the  window-seat  (a  high  one), 
or  make  a  writing-desk  of  my  lap,  as  I  did  the  first 
time  I  wrote — which  was  to  you.     Mr.  H.  supplied 


48  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

mc  with  a  table,  and  it's  so  little  T  have  to  put  it  in 
a  little  corner  by  the  fire-place  for  fear  it  will  upset 
when  I  sit  close  by  it  in  writing.  Before  I  left 
home  I  was  telling  them  I  wanted  in  my  room  a 
big  easy-chair,  an  arm-chair,  a  rocking-chair,  a 
lounge,  and  a  footstool.  Not  having  any  of  the 
five,  I  am  very  well  satisfied  without  them  ;  if  I 
only  had  four  pretty  curtains  that  weren't  made  of 
paper!  Don't  you  sympathize  with  me  in  my  dif- 
ficulties ?  I  don't  know  what  I  shall  do  with  that 
fire.  It's  rather  under  my  management  just  now. 
I've  tried  to  fix  it  for  the  night,  but  I  reckon  it 
won't  stay  fixed, — it  will  go  out." 

"  Nm-emher  15. 

"...  I  had  not  intended  writing  thus  to-night, 
for  I  certainly  felt  in  no  sad  mood  when  I  com- 
menced. I  had  been  sewing  on  some  charity  work, 
for  more  than  two  hours,  and,  after  writing  a  letter 
of  duty,  wanted  some  little  recreation.  But  it  is 
Saturday  night,  and  I  may  not  wait  to  finish  this; 
besides,  you  don't  deserve  it.  .  .  .  Do  you  not  feel 
conscience-stricken  in  glancing  at  the  several  dates 
of  my  letters,  and  remembering  you  have  not  written 
me  a  word  since  the  first  of  the  month  ?" 

"  Chest.nut  Hill,  February  i,  1S5S. 

"...  I  wish  you  could  have  come  in  the  a.ler- 
noon.    I  had  much  to  say,  but  the  children  kept  me 


A    TEACHER. 


49 


from  collecting  my  thoughts.  ...  I  am  writing 
down-stairs,  and  the  folks  are  talking  about  rob- 
beries, one  having  been  committed  next  door  to 
us  a  few  nights  ago.  I  am  not  as  timid  as  many, 
but  still  I  should  feel  rather  uncomfortable  to  have 
any  one  enter  without  leave  or  license  after  honest 
folk  are  all  abed,  that  is  if  I  should  hear  them, — a 
doubtful  case." 

In  the  vacation  months  of  July  and  August,  Miss 
Latta  was  with  relatives  in  Lancaster  County,  and 
in  after-years  spoke  of  having  attended  an  interest- 
ing open-air  revival  meeting  at  Piquea  in  a-  grove  of 
trees,  some  of  which  at  least  were  growths  on  the 
same  spot  from  trees  under  which  Whitefield  had 
once  preached.  Returning  to  her  school,  the  jour- 
nal continues  : 

"  Chestnut  Hill,  October  27,  1858. 
"  Writing  to  you  has  of  late  been  quite  an  un- 
usual thing,  but  not  altogether  for  want  of  thinking 
of  you.  The  recollection  of  your  last  visit  gives 
me  pain,  lest  you  should  have  thought  I  did  not 
care  as  much  to  see  you  as  formerly.  The  truth 
of  the  matter  was,  that  Mrs.  Ottinger  being  sick, 
and  all  of  the  nursing  falling  on  me,  I  was  tired 
out.  At  least  I  supposed  myself  very  tired  then  ; 
but  I  have  learned  since  what  real  weariness  of 
body  is.  Last  week  Mrs.  Ottinger  was  sick  again, 
and,  besides  teaching,  I  was  chief  nurse  and  house- 
s' 


50 


CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 


keeper  too.  We  had  no  girl,  and  I  had  not  much 
help  with  the  work.  It  seemed  as  if  the  last  day 
of  school — Friday — never  would  come;  but  it  did, 
and  by  Monday  my  patient  was  much  better.  My 
uncle,  with  whom  I  make  my  home,  has  given  up 
preaching  for  the  present  on  account  of  ill  health, 
and  will  probably  spend  the  winter  in  the  city.  If 
so,  I  shall  be  in  very  often.  My  brother  expects 
to  be  in  Philadelphia,  too,  if  he  can  get  a  situation 
to  suit  him.  Should  Willie  be  in  the  city,  I  should 
like  him  to  be  acquainted  with  you ;  and  will  you 
not  try  to  lead  him,  to  influence  him  aright?  He 
is  my  only  brother,  and  very  dear  to  me." 

Her  uncle's  residence  in  Philadelphia  led  Miss 
Latta  there  often,  and  she  spent  her  vacations  there 
with  her  brother  William 'during  1859. 

In  the  month  of  March,  i860,  she  had  to  leave 
her  school  temporarily  to  accompany  to  Jackson- 
ville, Fla.,  her  brother,  who  was  threatened  with 
pulmonary  disease.  His  rapid  recovery  enabled 
her  to  return  North  in  May.  But  her  happy  work 
at  the  Hill  was  not  resumed,  she  being  called  in 
July  hastily  to  complete  preparations  for  the  voyage 
to  her  longed-for  work  in  Africa. 

"  Not  enjoyment,  and  not  sorrow, 
Is  our  destined  end  or  w.iy ; 
But  to  act  that  each  to-morrow 
Find  us  furtlier  tliau  today." 


A   MISSIONARY.  51 


CHAPTER    VI. 

A    MISSIONARY. 

"  My  soul  is  not  at  rest ; 
There  comes  a  strange  and  secret  whisper  to 
My  spirit,  like  a  dream  of  night,  that  tells 
Me  I  am  on  enchanted  ground." 

Miss  Latta  scarcely  remembered  a  time  when 
she  had  not  thought  of  becoming  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary. And  I  cannot  find,  in  the  record  of  let- 
ters, or  the  testimony  of  acquaintances,  a  time, 
even  in  the  extravagances  of  school-girl  life,  when 
she  was  not  a  Christian.  Many  children  of  the 
Abrahamic  covenant,  standing,  even  before  their 
birth,  in  its  precious  stream  of  blessing, — carefully 
trained  and  conscientious  in  life, — cannot  name 
the  day  when  they  first  knew  the  Lord.  Imper- 
fect fulfillment  of  that  covenant  by  parents  or 
church-sessions,  and  sinful  indulgence  of  delay  by 
the  baptized  church-members  themselves,  may  de- 
fer the  claiming  of  covenant-rights  until  there 
come  those  "  searchings  of  heart"  that  compel  to 
duty.  But  their  Christian  birth-day  even  then 
should  take  a  much  earlier  date  than  the  formal 


52 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


sessional  examination  or  the  first  communion 
season. 

The  story  of  Miss  Latta's  Christian  and  mission- 
ary thought  properly  belongs  to  all  the  previous 
eras  of  her  life  as  child,  school-girl,  and  teacher, 
and  might  have  been  left  there  in  bright  thoughts 
scattered  here  and  there  as  we  passed  along.  In- 
deed, in  so  doing  the  picture  of  early  life  would 
have  been  true.  But  I  chose  to  gather  in  one 
bouquet,  from  all  along  the  paths,  whatever  relates 
to  the  Christian  and  missionary  aspects  of  her  life 
previous  to  her  departure  for  Africa. 

When  she  was  a  child  at  Waynesburg,  visitors 
to  her  mother's  had  seen  her  and  been  amused  to 
hear  her  mother  tell  of  "Molly's"  liking  for  the 
negroes  of  the  village,  and  of  her  talks  even  then 
about  African  missions.  Herself  had  told  me  that 
she  had  felt  a  special  interest,  not  in  the  compan- 
ionship of,  but  in  the  endeavor  to  help  the  despised 
and  neglected;  and  in  any  community,  naturally 
found  such  among  the  negro  population. 

As  she  grew  older,  the  going  to  Africa  in  1849 
of  Rev.  J.  L.  and  Mrs.  Mackey  from  New  London, 
in  her  own  county,  and  of  Rev.  G.  W.  and  Mrs. 
Simpson,  from  her  uncle's  congregation,  probably 
directed  her  interest  toward  that  country.  Her 
contributions  of  aid  early  went  there,  and  her  own 
name  and  her  brother  William's  preceded  her  to 
Corisco  ;   hers  (as  contained  in  an    aunt's)  being 


A   MISSIONARY.  53 

adopted  by  a  native  teacher  in  Mrs.  Mackey's 
school,  who  still  retains  her  Christian  profession 
in  spite  of  her  husband's  opposition ;  and  her  bro- 
ther's, by  a  young  man  who  died  while  studying 
for  the  ministry. 

At  Oakland,  her  school-mates  remember  her 
telling  them  she  was  to  be  a  foreign  missionary. 
Some  regarded  it  only  as  one  of  her  sallies  of  wit. 
At  other  times  she  was  quiet  and  sad,  and  even 
dejected,  and  not  until  long  after  would  give  any 
reason  to  her  companions,  and  then  would  ad- 
mit only  to  her  room-mate  that  the  depressing 
thoughts  arose  from  her  neglect  of  religious  duty. 
How  seriously  she  thought  may  be  judged  by  the 
closing  stanza  of  verses  composed  by  her  for  a 
school-mate's  album.  Instead  of  the  usual  hope 
of  meeting  in  Heaven  that  even  the  godless  express 
in  parting,  or  other  tender  hours,  hers  was  laid  on 
the  "faith"  in  a  Saviour's  blood: 

"  Or,  if  God's  dark-eyed  angel  should  pause  at  our  side, 
To  loosen,  in  youlh,  life's  quivering  cord, 
May  we  hope  that  through  faith  in  Him  who  has  died, 
Our  spirits  sliall  rise  to  the  courts  of  the  Lord. 

"  Cloyd. 
"Sept.  17th,  1855." 

Sometimes  a  reckless  feeling  would  respond  to 
an  inquiry  from  a  sympathizing  Christian  school- 
mate   in  such  a  way  as  to  permit   her   alarmed 


54  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

friend  to  think  she  doubted  all  religion.  Her  soul 
was  fighting  with  itself,  and  was  not  at  rest  while 
it  failed  to  acknowledge  its  Saviour. 

A  letter  of  Rev.  J.  Kirkpatrick,  Jr.,  evidently 
one  of  a  series,  the  others  of  which  are  lost,  show 
how  this  conflict,  under  procrastinated  perform- 
ance of  duty,  was  continued  while  at  Trenton.  It 
tells  her  own  story  as  truly  as  if  written  by  her- 
self, and  therefore  I  copy  it  almost  entire.  As  a 
skillful  physician,  he  was  applying  a  medicine ; 
from  the  adaptations  of  a  medicine  may  be  judged 
the  symptoms  that  indicated  it. 

REV.  JACOB  KIRKPATRICK,  JR.,  TO  MISS  MARY  C.  LATTA. 

Trenton,  Apr.  28,  '56. 
My  dear  Friend  : 

You  know  already  why  I  have  not  answered 
your  note  of  the  i8th  inst.  before,  so  I  will  rest 
assured  that  you  do  not  attribute  the  delay  to  any 
indifference  to  your  spiritual  welfare  upon  my 
part.  With  much  solicitude  I  have  waited  for  an 
interview  with  you.  And  yet,  with  the  expression 
of  your  feelings  now  before  me,  I  hardly  know 
what  it  will  be  best  for  me  to  say  in  reply.  You 
speak  of  one  thing  as  "  the  test,"  and  the  cross 
which  you  have  hitherto  refused  to  take  up,  your 
"  only  cross ;"  now,  dear  friend,  I  tremble  for  you 
while  you  stand  at  that  critical  point,  so  near  to 


A   MISSIONARY. 


55 


the  kingdom  of  God,  yet  standing  still  upon  the 
\&xy  probability  of  sinking  to  a  condemnation  pro- 
portionately deep.  You  know  it  is  a  most  fearful 
thing  to  fall  from  such  a  height.  I  will  not  dwell 
upon  this  most  solemn  consideration, — it  is  too 
painful. 

May  5. — Three  times,  while  writing  the  fore- 
going, I  was  interrupted  and  obliged  to  postpone 
it.  Still,  I  confess  that  I  could  have  finished  this 
some  days  ago,  but  was  induced  to  wait  by  the 
hope  of  soon  having  an  opportunity  of  conversing 
with  you.  It  seems  to  be  manifest  from  your  note 
that  the  "  only  cross"  of  which  you  speak,  and  of 
which  you  have  spoken  before,  is  the  chief  hin- 
drance to  your  conversion ;  this  supposition  is 
confirmed  in  my  mind  by  the  acknowledgment 
that  when  you  did  write  to  your  uncle  it  was  with 
great  reluctance,  and  only  because  of  my  urgency, 
and  that  under  the  consciousness  of  this  you  re- 
tained the  letter  after  it  was  finished.  Now  let  me 
say  that  I  "  urged"  you,  not  because  I  thought  it 
would  be  sufficient  to  communicate  your  feelings 
to  him,  nor  because  I  thought  the  mere  act  of 
writing  would  answer  any  good  purpose,  but  be- 
cause I  desired  you  to  attain  the  spirit  of  self- 
denial  which  was  requisite,  and  because  I  judged 
that  the  effort  to  write  would  assist  you  in  acquir- 
ing that  spirit.  What  I  urged  you  to  was  the 
exercise  of  self-denial,  for  the  sake  of  your  own 


56  CROWNED   IN  FALM-LAND. 

soul ;  and  that  seemed,  according  to  your  own 
acknowledgment,  to  be  the  proper  test.  What  I 
still  feel  bound  to  do,  my  dear  friend,  is  to  press 
upon  you  the  duty — the  necessity — of  humbling 
and  denying  yourself;  and  as  long  as  you  con- 
tinue to  acknowledge  that  that  is  your  "  cross,"  I 
must  continue  to  urge  you  to  stoop  down  and  take 
it  up,  and  bear  it  though  you  be  bowed  down  under 
it.  Ah  !  if  Jesus  had  not  taken  up  His  cross  what 
would  have  become  of  the  world  ?  What  would 
have  become  of  you?  Consider  the  cross  He  bore, 
yea,  the  cross  upon  which  He  died.  You  "  have 
not  yet  resisted  unto  blood,  striving  against  sin," 
you  are  not  required  to,  and  can  you  not  make  so 
small  a  sacrifice  for  Him  who  shed  His  blood  for 
you  ?  What  I  refer  to  now  is  not  writing  to  your 
uncle  upon  the  subject, — that  is  a  secondary  mat- 
ter,— but  prostrating  yourself  in  thorough  humil- 
ity at  the  feet  of  Christ,  surrendering  yourself 
without  reserve  to  Him ;  denying  yourself  in 
every  respect  in  which  it  may  be  necessary,  so  as 
to  become  wholly  His,  in  truthfulness  and  devo- 
tion. .  .  . 

You  say  you  sometimes  feel  new  confidence, 
but  it  soon  vanishes.'  You  cannot  expect  true 
peace  to  take  up  its  abode  in  your  breast,  and  re- 
main there,  while  you  confess  that  you  "  have 
refused  to  take  up"  your  "  only  cross." 

"  Patient  waiting"  till  God  sees  fit  to  give  you 


A   MISSIONARY.  57 

peace,  let  me  remind  you,  is  not  incompatible  with 
persevering,  unceasing,  and  most  ardent  supplica- 
tions. 

You  speak  of  a  long-cherished  desire  to  carry 
"the  glad  tidings"  to  the  heathen;  I  am  sincerely 
glad  that  such  a  desire  has  taken  possession  of 
your  heart.  Do  you  not  regard  that  as  a  special 
call  of  God  to  become  a  true  follower  of  Christ  ? 
...  Be  not  desponding ;  you  are  "  not  far  from 
the  kingdom"  of  God. 

After  leaving  Trenton,  in  the  beginning  of  1857, 
there  must  have  been  some  correspondence  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackey  in  Africa.  They  had  been 
in  this  country  on  furlough  in  1855,  were  at  Rev. 
W.  W.  Latta's  church,  and  Mrs.  Mackey,  just  two 
years  after  her  return  to  Africa,  wrote, — 

"  EVANGASIMBA,  February  17,  1858. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Latta  : 

"  We  received  the  box  about  a  month  ago ;  and 
the  variety  and  value  of  its  contents  make  us  feel 
that  we  are  neither  forgotten  nor  neglected  by  our 
friends  at  home. 

"We  have  never  before  received  a  box  so  well 
suited  to  all  our  wants  as  this. 

"  Mr.  Mackey  wrote  to  Mr.  Latta  by  the  same 
vessel  that  brought  the  box,  acknowledging  its  re- 
ception.   I  write  this  to  yourself,  having  a  pleasant 


58  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

recollection  of  meeting  with  you  at  your  uncle's. 
The  box  in  which  I  found  your  letter  I  gratefully 
accept  as  coming  from  yourself,  and  I  do  think 
that  you  have  shown  a  great  amount  of  ingenuity 
in  selecting  so  many  small  articles,  each  one  of 
which  is  of  great  use  to  us. 

"  The  black  sewing-silk  was  most  seasonable,  for 
I  was  just  in  want  of  some.  The  black  coats  in 
our  mission  often  need  darning,  and  sometimes  a 
patch  is  necessary.  ...  I  astonished  the  girls  yes- 
terday with  the  counters.  I  told  them  that  if  they 
would  recite  their  geography  well,  I  would  make 
their  arithmetic  easy.  When  they  had  done  re- 
citing, I  laid  them  on  the  table.  They  admired 
their  pretty  colors,  but  could  not  contrive  how  they 
could  count  a  sum  in  simple  addition  with  them. 
When  this  was  explained  they  seemed  quite  de- 
lighted in  experimenting  with  them.  .  .  .  One  of 
our  best  scholars  among  our  largest  girls  is  now 
teacher  of  the  smaller  girls.  Her  native  name  is 
Mabwami,  and  her  English  name  is  Mary  Jenkins 
Latta.  ...  I  am  glad  to  learn  that  your  mind  has 
been  exercised  on  the  subject  of  missions.  If,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  your  lot  should  ever  be  cast 
among  us,  we  would  be  most  happy  to  greet  you. 
I  trust,  in  the  first  place,  you  have  made  a  full, 
free,  and  unreserved  consecration  of  yourself  to 
the  service  of  God,  and  then  you  will  be  ready  to 
go  wherever  in  Flis  providence  He  nuiy  call  you." 


A   MISSIONARY.  59 

In  the  summer  of  1857,  during  the  revival  at 
Waynesburg,  before  she  had  yet  acknowledged  the 
possession  of  Christ  in  her  heart,  she  was  earnestly 
seeking  the  conversion  of  others. 

A  response  to  some  remark  of  her  correspondent 
in  the  series  already  mentioned,  in  a  lead-pencil 
note  written  from  "  Willow  Grove,"  the  home  of  a 
schoolmate  near  Abington,  Pa.,  says : 

"August — ,  1857. 

"  No,  I  have  seen  nothing  like  insanity  in  you, 
unless  it  be  your  insanity  in  refusing  to  come  to 
Christ  as  an  able  and  willing  Saviour.  Why  will 
you  not  come  ?  Come  now.  In  the  sight  of  God 
there  is  none  good,  no,  not  one :  and  to  you  He 
says  freely,  earnestly,  lovingly, '  Give  me  thy  heart.' 
You  must  not  refuse  One  who  has  done  so  much 
for  you.  ...  If  your  desire  is  to  be  at  peace  with 
God,  let  that  desire  absorb  every  other;  do  not 
think  of  what  you  have  done,  but  of  what  you 
ought  to  do.  .  .  .  If  you  think  my  practice  accords 
not  with  my  precept,  I  own  it.  May  our  Father 
God  grant  that  I  be  not  a  hindrance  to  you  !  I 
pray  for  you,  I  pray  for  myself" 

"September  i,  1857. 
"  To-day  commenced  our  protracted  meeting,  of 
which  you  probably  heard  me  speak.     Before  the 
afternoon  services  were  closed,  one  of  the  clergy- 


6o  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

men  rose  and  appointed  an  hour  at  which  he 
requested  all  to  retire  and  pray  for  some  loved 
one.  I  had  two  for  whom  to  pray,  and  you  will 
not  doubt  that  I  remembered  you  earnestly.  You 
have  been  much  in  my  mind  through  the  day,  and 
will  be  through  the  week,  .  .  . 

"  Thursday. — It  is  not  quite  church  time,  and  I 
wish  to  say  a  few  words  to  you  this  evening.  I 
fear  you  live  carelessly  for  the  very  purpose  of 
drowning  thought;  have  you  not  told  me  as 
much  ?  .  .  . 

"Friday. — Yesterday  all  who  felt  any  concern  for 
the  salvation  of  their  souls  were  invited  to  remain. 
I  could  not  stay  ;  but  last  night  they  persuaded 
me  and  I  remained.  At  least,  one  clergyman  for 
whom  I  have  great  respect  and  affection  urged  me 
to  do  so,  if  I  could  consistently,  for  others  might 
follow  my  example  in  turning  away.  Sometimes 
I  feel  as  if  I  had  given  up  all  to  Christ;  if  I  really 
have, then  all  is  safe  in  His  hands;  but  doubts  will 
arise.  There  afe  many  who  seem  to  be  seeking 
the  Saviour,  but  how  much  of  it  is  excitement  we 
cannot  tell.  But  it  matters  little  what  others  are 
doing,  so  long  as  we  feel  ourselves  to  be  out  of  the 
ark."  .  .   . 

"  IIONKYBROOK,  Chester  Co. 
"September  17,  1857. 

"...  Do  you  remember  asking  me  the  last  day 
in  the  woods  but  one,  whether  I  really  was  going 


A  MISSIONARY.  6 1 

to  Africa?  My  reply  may  not  have  been  much  to 
the  purpose,  but  let  me  tell  you  now  that  ere  an- 
other autumn  has  come  and  gone  it  is  my  wish  to 
be  on  heathen  ground.  Doubtless  I  may  have  to 
wait,  owing  to  circumstances  of  which  I  know  not 
now,  a  much  longer  time;  but  such  is  not  the 
desire  of  my  heart,  unless  it  be  God's  will. 

"  If  it  is  not  His  will  that  I  go  at  all,  I  trust  I  may 
be  so  convinced ;  but  it  is  in  reliance  on  His  arm 
I  would  leave  both  home  and  friends,  and  with  full 
faith  on  His  promise,  'As  thy  day,  so  shall  thy 
strength  be.'  I  hope  now  that  I  am  a  child  of 
God,  adopted,  through  faith  in  Jesus,  into  His 
family  on  earth,  and  by  the  Saviour's  atonement 
made  heir  to  His  kingdom  in  Heaven.  If  I  am 
called  to  foreign  lands,  how  much  more  gladly 
would  I  go  knowing  that  you  too  had  a  personal 
interest  in  this  great  atonement."  .  .  . 

"  HONEYBROOK,  Oct.  9,   1857. 

"  How  shall  I  tell  you  the  joy  with  which  I  read 
the  glad  tidings  of  your  new-found  peace  ?  Tears 
of  heart-felt  pleasure  spring  to  my  eyes,  and  I 
pause  to  thank  our  Heavenly  Father  for  His 
abundant  grace.  ...  I  hardly  think  that  I  said  to 
any  one  that  I  expected  certainly  to  go  to  Corisco, 
only  that  I  wanted  to  very  much.  I  wrote  several 
weeks  ago  to  Mr.  Lowrie  on  the  subject,  but  he 
either  has  not  received  my  letter,  or  is  not  ready 

6* 


62  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

to  answer  it.  At  that  time  I  was  all  impatience  to 
go  ere  another  summer  should  be  passed ;  but, 
though  my  views  as  to  becoming  a  missionary  are 
unaltered,  I  trust  I  am  willing  to  wait  a  longer 
period  if  such  be  God's  will."  .  .  . 

"  Chestnut  Hill,  Nov.  9,  '57. 

"...  You  remember  the  last  evening  we  spent 
together?  Can  you  tell  me  or  do  you  know  why, 
of  all  the  subjects  mentioned,  the  one  more  im- 
portant by  far  than  any  other  was  so  passed  over  ? 
I  cannot  think  it  was  absent  from  your  thoughts 
the  whole  time;  it  certainly  was  not  from  mine. 
Do  not  let  it  be  so  again.  I  was  doubtless  in  fault; 
but  to  speak  on  religious  subjects  is  to  me  yet  a  trial. 

"  Yesterday  week  I  united  with  the  church  ;  but 
the  day  brought  me  little  peace,  excepting  that 
which  arose  from  the  hope  I  was  doing  my  duty. 
Since  then,  however,  I  have  felt  a  firmer  trust  in 
God  as  my  only  Father,  in  Christ  as  my  all-suffi- 
cient Saviour,  and*  in  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  sure 
Sanctifier.  .  .  .  And  let  me  beg  of  you  to  abandon 
the  habit  of  quoting  Scripture  lightly;  it  pains  me 
to  hear  it,  as  you  surely  would  be  pained  to  hear 
from  one  you  esteemed  or  loved.  My  brother 
Willie,  in  answering  one  of  my  letters  long  ago, 
made  the  modest  request  that  I  'would  stop  lectur- 
ing.' Whenever  you  have  the  same  request  to 
prefer,  it  shall  be  attended  to." 


A   MISSIONARY.  63 

"Nov.  23,  '57. 

"...  The  letter  contained  sad  tidings,  for  it  told 
of  t|ie  death  of  John  Newton's  mother.  The  family 
are  all  in  India,  excepting  John  and  Charley,  and 
they,  too,  have  not  seen  their  mother  for  five  years. 
.  .  .  My  very  heart  aches  for  her  sons  left  mother- 
less in  a  foreign  land. 

"  I  heard  a  missionary  from  Africa  preach  last 
night  in  the  Episcopal  church,  and  it  was  the  first 
time  I  had  ever  left  my  own  church  for  that  of 
another  denomination.  Mr.  Rambo,  however,  was 
a  teacher  of  mine  many  years  ago,  and  I  could  not 
resist  the  temptation.  I  stopped  to  speak  to  him 
after  church,  and  he  walked  home  with  me,  and 
sat  a  little  while.     I  was  so  glad  to  see  him." 

"  Chestnut  Hill,  Oct.  27,  '58. 

"...  What  are  you  doing  now?  .  .  .  Has  God 
in  any  sense  seen  fit  to  lay  His  chastening  hand 
upon  you?  You  must  believe  in  the  perseverance 
of  the  saints, — we  look  at  the  good  afar  off,  and  it 
seems  impossible  for  us  to  attain  thereunto,  but 
our  present  concern  is  not  with  the  length  of  the 
road,  but  obstacles  immediately  in  our  path.  True,, 
we  must  look  to  Jesus,  but  looking  unto  Him  does 
not  imply  a  summing  up  of  all  that  is  to  be  over- 
come. Grace  will  be  given  as  manna  to  the 
Israelites,  sufficient  only  for  the  day;  but  iox  tliat 
day  an  ample  provision.     Why  ask  more  ? 


64  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

"  I  sec  Mrs.  Ogden's  name  mentioned  occasion- 
ally in  the  Home  and  Foreign  Record.  At  one  time 
I  prayed  earnestly  that  God  would  open  the  way 
for  me  without  delay  to  enter  upon  the  missionary 
work,  but  I  am  beginning  to  feel,  as  well  as  know, 
that  God's  time  is  always  best. 

"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  inform  you  that  this 
pen  is  not  the  best  in  the  world.  I  hope  your  eye- 
sight is  not  injured."  ... 

Rev.  Dr.  R.  Owen;  of  Chestnut  Hill,  to  whose 
pastoral  care  her  name  had  been  transferred  from 
Waynesburg,  speaks  of  Miss  Latta's  coming  to  his 
study  sometimes  with  questions  of  duty  ;  and,  in 
the  conversation  which  would  follow,  he  noticed 
her  difficulty  about  religious  talk.  She  listened 
but  did  not  respond,  except  to  assure  him  that 
*'  she  liked  to  hear  him  speak." 

In  his  Sabbath-school  her  work  was  marked  by 
cheerfulness  and  faithfulness.  And  he  remembers 
the  joy  with  which  she  hastened  to  him  with  open 
letter  to  show  him  her  appointment  by  the  Foreign 
Board,  sharing  with  him  her  joy  "  because  it  was 
too  good." 

That  appointment  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  as  a  missionary  to  Corisco,  had 
been  applied  for  in  September,  1857,  but  in  those 
days  of  reaching  Africa  only  by  sailing-vessels, 
which    had    no   proper   arrangements   for   female 


TO  AFRICA.  65 

passengers  without  escort,  she  was  delayed  for 
company,  and  the  appointment  was  not  actually 
made  until  June,  i860;  she,  in  the  meanwhile,  re- 
maining at  her  school  in  Chestnut  Hill.  And  in 
July,  i860,  an  excellent  opportunity  and  escort 
presented  itself,  in  the  company  of  Rev.  William 
and  Mrs.  Walker,  of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  returning  to  their  station  at  Gaboon. 

"  It  is  the  voice 
Of  millions  starving  for  the  bread  of  life. 
With  gasping  breath  they  send  the  cry  abroad, 
'  Tell  us,  O  Christian,  tell  us  of  thy  God  !'  " 


CHAPTER    VII. 

TO    AFRICA. 
August-November,  i860.     Atlantic  Ocean. 

"  Go  !  may  Jesus  guide  thy  going. 
May  He  be  where'er  thou  art : 
May  His  love,  forever  flowing, 

Cheer,  refresh,  and  warm  thy  heart !" 

Miss  Latta  sailed  from  New  York  August  i, 
i860,  in  the  brig  "Ocean  Eagle,"  Captain  P.  D. 
Yates.  The  passengers,  besides  herself,  were  Rev. 
William  and  Mrs.  Walker  and  two  Liberians,  and. 


66  CROWNED  IN  PAUf-LAND. 

after  leaving  Monrovia,  two  Liberian  girls,  Waneta 
Alvareze,  in  Mrs.Walker's  service,  and  Julia  Goods, 
an  orphan,  taken  by  Miss  Lattaas  her  ward.  From 
the  following  journal,  and,  indeed,  from  all  of  Mrs. 
Nassau's  subsequent  letters,  I  have  purposely  omit- 
ted sentences  containing  religious  meditations  and 
aspirations,  assuming  that  their  absence  would 
leave  no  doubt  on  her  missionary  piety,  and  de- 
siring to  present  especially  the  picture  of  missionary 
real-life  not  usually  met  with  in  formal  memoirs. 

MISS    LATTA   TO    HER   UNCLE's    FAMILY. 

Brk;  "Ocean  Eagle,"  Aug.  21,  i860, 
Atlantic  Ocean,  Lat.  37°  18^,  Lon.  37°  18''. 

This  is  not  meant  for  a  journal,  nor  even  an 
apology  for  one;  but  if  I  do  not  write  you  a  few 
lines  occasionally,  how  will  you  ever  learn  any- 
thing about  my  voyage  to  Africa  ?  It  will  be  three 
weeks  to-morrow  since  we  left  New  York,  and  this 
is  only  my  second  attempt  to  handle  a  pen  ;  so  you 
will  scarcely  expect  me  to  say  much  between  this 
and  Monrovia,  our  first  stopping-place. 

My  industry  depends  on  the  waves.  To-day  we 
arc  becalmed,  —  not  exactly,  either,  as  the  vessel 
moves  slowly  backward  ;  we  are  drifting  in  nearly 
the  right  direction,  as  I  understand  the  vessel  heads 
towards  the  United  States,  Greenland,  or  some  other 
such  out-of-the-way  place.  There!  I  just  missed 
killing  a  mosquito;  partly  from  motives  of  ccon- 


TO   AFRICA.  67 

omy,  as  he  was  resting  on  my  page,  and  partly 
from  stopping  to  observe  his  beautiful  colors, — a 
bright  crimson  body  and  delicate  wings  of  shaded 
brown.  Some  of  the  crimson,  I  am  sure,  was  ex- 
tracted from  my  little  finger.  The  mosquitoes 
disappeared  entirely  after  we  had  been  a  few  days 
at  sea  ;  but  some  uncommonly  large  ones  have 
been  flying  about  of  late,  which  had  been  put  up 
at  New  York  in  the  water-casks,  and  just  released 
by  the  captain.     Oh,  how  they  do  bite  ! 

Now  there  is  an  appearance  of  rain,  and  windows 
must  be  closed ;  but  no  one  thinks  I  am  able  to 
screw  up  the  little  round  piece  of  glass  in  my 
stateroom,  so  I  continue  my  writing,  leaving  Mr. 
Walker  or  the  captain  to  attend  to  it.  I  did  shut 
it  the  other  night  for  the  second  time  since  coming 
aboard,  and  Mrs.  Walker  opened  it  for  me  in  the 
morning,  remarking,  at  the  same  time,  she  could 
neither  open  nor  shut  the  window  in  her  stateroom. 
Captain  asked  how  it  came  to  be  closed,  and  I 
said  I  had  fastened  it  in  the  night  to  keep  out  the 
sea  when  the  vessel  was  rolling;  but  I  only  got 
laughed  at  for  the  explanation,  the  gentlemen 
thinking  "a  window  Miss  Latta  had  shut  and  Mrs. 
Walker  could  open  would  not  keep  out  much 
water." 

Steward  says  he  knew  it  was  going  to  rain,  for 
his  "  chronojneters  have  been  paining"  him  several 
days ;  but  the  rain  is  still  in  the  clouds. 


68  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

They  arc  "  tacking  ship,"  for  the  second  time  in 
tlie  last  half-hour,  which  will  change  our  course  a 
little ;  but  the  captain  says  the  wind  is  "  dead 
ahead,"  and  he  "  don't  believe  it  will  ever  be  fair 
again."  Excuse  his  want  of  faith,  as  he  is  not 
well,  and  our  passage  thus  far  has  not  been  the 
most  prosperous.  We  had  head  winds  and  calms 
for  more  than  a  week. 

Three  of  the  passengers  are  overhauling  their 
trunks,  and  the  fourth,  after  turning  about  uneasily 
in  his  berth  for  some  time,  has  just  turned  out  and 
put  on  his  coat,  preparatory  to  taking  an  observa- 
tion of  the  weather,  I  suppose.  There  are  but  five 
in  all.  You  shall  hear  somethir^  about  them  some 
other  time ;  but  to-day  I  am  not  in  a  particularly 
descriptive  mood.  There  is  likely  to  be  sufficient 
spare  time  to  say  all  that  is  worth  saying,  and  much 
more  besides,  before  we  reach  Liberia.  A  quick 
passage  is  not  to  be  expected  this  time  of  year. 

Friday,  August  24.  —  Nothing  of  interest  has 
happened  to-day,  and  nothing  is  expected  to  hap- 
pen. The  wind  and  the  sea  and  the  ship  and  its 
passengers  all  seem  in  a  peculiarly  inactive  con- 
dition, and  I  suppose  I  should  be  on  the  sofa  if  the 
tincture  of  cinchona  had  not  been  got  out  of  the 
medicine-chest  for  my  benefit.  Mr.  Walker  kindly 
searched  for  and  prepared  it ;  all  I  had  to  do  was 
to  swallow  the  mixture, — and  it  might  be  worse 
certainly. 


TO  AFRICA.  69 

I  believe  I  will  go  and  read  Mpongwe  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Walker.  That  is  the  language  at  the 
Gaboon,  but  I  only  translate  for  amusement,  never 
expecting  to  have  any  use  for  it. 

Dr.  Wilson  gave  me  a  grammar  of  the  Benga 
language,  spoken  at  Corisco ;  but  it  is  dull  work 
studying  alone,  as  well  as  very  slow.  The  conju- 
gation of  the  regular  verb  kalaka  (to  speak),  in  all 
the  voices,  moods,  and  tenses,  negative  and  affirm- 
ative, occupies  some  twenty  pages  ;  but,  fortunately, 
there  are  few  irregular  verbs, — none  given  in  the 
grammar.  .  .  . 

MISS  LATTA  TO  HER  BROTHER,  W.  J.  LATTA. 

Monrovia,  West  Africa, 
Sept.  18,  i860. 

Since  coming  on  shore  this  morning  we  have 
learned  that  a  vessel  leaves  to-morrow  for  the 
United  States,  and  whatever  we  may  have  time  to 
write  may  reach  you  earlier  than  by  the  regular 
mail.  The  vessel  came  in  yesterday,  and  is  the 
one  sent  out  by  our  government  with  the  recap- 
tured slaves.  It  had  conveyed  them  to  Cape 
Mount,  a  short  distance  north  of  Monrovia.  Had 
we  known  of  this  before,  we  might  have  had  letters 
ready,  but  we  are  thankful  for  time,  to  write  even  a 
few  lines  home,  that  may  assure  you  a  little  sooner 
of  our  safe  arrival  and  good  health. 

We  reached  Monrovia  on  Saturday,  September 
7 


70 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


15,  just  forty-five  days  from  the  time  we  left  New 
York.  We  had  no  very  rough  weather,  but  I  was 
sea-sick  the  most  of  the  voyage ;  not  sick  enough 
to  be  confined  to  my  berth  more  than  a  iaw  days, 
but  unable  to  write  or  sew  much,  or  do  anything 
else  in  a  useful  way.  It  was  such  an  effort  to  write 
that  I  could  not  have  sent  you  anything  of  interest 
in  the  shape  of  a  sea-journal.  I  made  the  attempt 
several  times,  but  was  obliged  to  give  up  in  despair. 

The  last  week  of  the  voyage  I  was  not  very  well, 
but  am  better  now,  and  think  another  day  or  two 
will  cure  me. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  were  very  kind  all  through 
the  passage ;  took  every  care  of  me,  and  paid  me 
every  attention  possible.  I  could  not  have  had 
kinder  friends  than  they  have  proved.  Truly,  God 
has  been  very  good  in  bringing  us  thus  far  in  safety. 

Do  you  remember  the  young  colored  man  who 
was  pointed  out  to  us  as  one  of  the  passengers  ? 
He  had  the  stateroom  opposite  mine,  and  the  seat 
opposite  me  at  table.  I  believe  it  seemed  strange 
the  first  day  or  two  to  have  him  mingling  with  us 
all ;  but,  if  that  impression  did  exist,  it  has  so  com- 
pletely worn  away  that  I  can  scarcely  recall  it. 
His  father.  Rev.  Francis  Burns,  is  bishop  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  West  Africa ;  and  to-day  I 
write  from  the  bishop's  study,  as  we  have  been 
spending  the  day  and  dining  with  them.  Mr. 
Burns  is  a  veritable  African  in  color,  but  his  first 


TO  AFRICA.  71 

wife  was  almost  white ;  so  the  children  are  very 
light  mulattoes.  His  second  wife  is  very  young  in 
appearance  ;  she  is  a  mulatto,  very  lady-like  in  her 
manner,  and  seems  to  understand  the  art  of  mak- 
ing one  feel  at  home. 

When  I  have  finished  this  letter  it  will,  I  sup- 
pose, soon  be  time  to  go  on  board  ;  this  is  the 
second  day  we  have  spent  ashore,  but  I  expect  to 
sleep  on  the  vessel  until  I  reach  Corisco,  in  accord- 
ance with  Dr.  Wilson's  advice  (indeed,  no  one 
advises  me  differently),  especially  during  the  rainy 
season,  which  is  not  yet  quite  over.   .  .  . 

Rev.  John  Seys,  one  of  the  principal  men  here, 
is  in  the  parlor,  and  I  must  go  for  awhile.  There 
is  a  delightful  breeze  here  from  the  sea. 

Well,  I  have  seen  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seys,  the  first 
white  persons  to  whom  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
speaking  since  coming  to  Africa.  (Mr.  S.  is  the 
agent  in  charge  of  recaptured  slaves.)  They  re- 
gretted not  being  at  housekeeping,  therefore  not 
able  to  have  us  spend  a  day  with  them  ;  and  I  am 
sorry,  too,  for  I  liked  them  both  very  much. 

And  now,  Willie,  dear,  I  must  say  good-by  for 
the  present.  I  hope  this  will  reach  you  before  the 
mail.  Give  a  great  deal  of  love  to  everybody, — 
uncles,  aunts,  and  cousins.  I  thought  of  you  all 
very  often  on  the  voyage,  and  would  like  to  see 
you  for  a  little  while  now,  if  possible, — but  that 
cannot  be.     I  have  had  nothing  yet  to  discourage 


72  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

me,  except  at  times  a  feeling  of  my  own  unfitness 
for  the  work  before  me;  but  I  must  go  on,  trusting 
to  God  for  all  needful  strength.  I  would  not  re- 
turn yet,  if  I  could  ;  but  it  is  rather  early  to  be 
making  assertions  of  that  kind.  Remember  me 
in  your  prayers,  as  I  always  remember  you.  God 
bless  you,  and  all  my  dear  friends.  .  .  . 

MISS    LATTA    TO    THE   SAME. 

Brig  "Ocean  Eagle,"  West  Africa, 
October  i,  iS6o. 

Just  two  months  ago  to-day  I  bade  you  good-by 
in  this  same  cabin  from  which  I  write.  Docs  the 
time  seem  to  be  long  to  you  ?  I  hope  you  have 
not  put  off  writing  until  you  would  have  a  letter 
from  me,  because  then  I  will  not  hear  from  home  till 
near  the  close  of  this  year, — perhaps  not  until  the 
beginning  of  next.  Will  you  not  try  and  write  every 
month  ?  Any  letters  that  I  inclose  to  you  for  others, 
you  can  read  before  forwarding;  and  this  time  I 
want  you  to  take  my  letter  for  Uncle  William  to 
Aunt  Moore  to  read,  before  you  send  it  to  him.  If 
uncle  is  in  the  city,  give  it  to  him  first,  of  course  ; 
let  aunties  see  it,  too,  if  they  are  in  Philadelphia. 

I  wonder  where  you  all  are,  where  you  all  will 
be  through  this  winter?  The  days  must  be  getting 
cool  now;  but  it  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  that. 
We  had  some  very  hot  days  at  sea,  but  have  not 
suffered  from  the  heat  since  reaching-  the  African 


TO  AFRICA. 


7': 


coast, — indeed,  the  rain  has  been  our  principal 
trouble  for  the  last  two  weeks. 

The  sea  was  quite  rough  yesterday;  and  to-day 
there  is  so  much  motion  that  I  can  scarcely  write, 
but  it  does  not  make  me  sea-sick,  fortunately.  A 
week's  stay  in  Monrovia  cured  me,  and  gave  me  a 
good  appetite,  so  that  I  am  ready  to  eat  almost 
any  time  of  day.  The  sweet  potatoes  we  get  here 
are  the  best  I  ever  tasted  ;  they  are  very  white  (one 
kind),  and  more  mealy  than  any  potato  I  ever  saw 
at  home,  whether  Irish  or  sweet.  They  have,  be- 
sides, yellow  ones  (about  as  good  as  ours),  and 
red,  which  I  have  not  yet  seen. 

My  other  letters,  which  you  will  read,  will  give 
an  account  of  my  stay  in  Monrovia.  We  left  there 
last  Wednesday, — reached  Bassa  on  Thursday, 
and  stayed  until  Saturday.  I  did  not  go  ashore, 
as  the  bar  was  bad  and  sharks  very  plentiful. 
While  we  were  at  Monrovia  a  Krooboy  was  killed 
by  a  shark, — bitten  right  in  two.  Captain  Yates 
asked  our  head  Krooman,  "  Who  got  the  body  ?" 
and  was  told,  "  Shark  got  half,  we  got  half" 

Oct.  II,  Cape  Palmas,  IV.  A. — I  am  writing  to- 
day from  the  Episcopal  Orphan  Asylum  at  Cape 
Palmas,  at  present  under  the  superintendence  of 
our  old  teacher,  Rev.  J.  Rambo.  It  is  very  pleas- 
ant to  be  here.  Mrs.  Rambo  is  a  sweet  woman, 
and  very  kind  ;  and  I  was  very  glad  to  see  any 
one   I   had  known   in  America.     This  is  the  first 

7* 


74 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


time  wc  had  been  entertained  by  wliite  persons 
since  leaving  home,  and  I  enjoy  it  even  more  than 
I  had  expected.  There  is  here,  besides,  a  Miss 
Ball,  teacher  of  the  school,  making  three  mission- 
aries at  this  place ;  and  there  are  others  at  stations 
not  very  far  distant. 

This  is  the  third  day  I  have  been  ashore,  but  I 
go  on  board  every  night  as  a  matter  of  prudence. 
Mr.  Walker  goes  to  take  care  of  me ;  but  Mrs. 
Walker  sleeps  on  land,  as  it  is  so  much  pleasanter 
than  being  rolled  from  side  to  side  in  the  vessel. 
The  rolling  and  pitching  of  the  ship  does  not  dis- 
turb me,  as  I  seem  to  have  bid  farewell  to  sea- 
sickness since  our  arrival  at  Monrovia.  Mrs. 
Walker  does  not  mind  sleeping  in  the  vessel  so 
much  as  she  does  going  back  and  forth  in  the 
boat, — being  a  little  timid. 

The  last  day  we  went  ashore  at  Sinoe,  it  began 
to  rain  before  we  started  for  the  boat,  or  rather 
before  the  boat  reached  the  landing,  and  we  did 
not  get  off  until  nearly  dark.  We  waited  awhile 
until  the  rain  came  down  more  gently,  and  then 
two  native  cloths  were  wrapped  around  me,  a 
handkerchief  tied  on  my  head,  and  a  new  velvet 
and  oil-cloth  hat  put  over  that.  Mr.  Payne,  into 
whose  house  we  had  gone  to  wait,  lent  me  the 
cloth  and  cap  from  his  store,  and  I  left  my  bonnet 
behind  for  the  captain  to  bring  next  morning. 
Mr.  Walker  tied  his  handkerchief  over  the  hat  to 


TO  AFRICA.  75 

make  it  keep  its  place,  Mr.  Payne  not  appearing 
to  have  thought  about  my  unusual  allowance  of 
brains, — skull, — or  something  else.  A  big  Kroo- 
man  took  me  in  his  arms  and  carried  me  to  the 
boat,  and  the  captain  held  a  large  umbrella  over 
me,  so  that  I  did  not  get  much  wet;  and  then  our 
men  began  to  row.  Wind  and  tide  were  against 
us,  and  we  had  the  bar  to  cross,  but  it  was  not  a 
bad  one.  Fortunately,  Mrs.  Walker  was  not  with 
us,  for  we  had  rather  an  unpleasant  time.  On 
reaching  the  bar,  or  just  after  crossing  it,  the  Kroo- 
men  rowed  for  nearly  half  an  hour  without  making 
any  sensible  progress.  One  time,  when  the  men 
changed  oars,  I  thought  the  boat  was  getting  ready 
to  capsize;  and  again  I  was  a  little  startled  by  a 
large  sea  striking  us.  But  I  cannot  say  that  I  felt 
any  fear, — indeed,  we  were  in  no  danger  that  we 
knew  of.  We  were  an  hour  and  a  half  in  reaching 
the  ship,  and  when  I  walked  into  the  cabin  Mrs. 
Walker  began  to  laugh  and  cry.  She  had  not  ex- 
pected us,  and  Mr.  Walker  had  wanted  me  to  sleep 
on  shore,  but  I  preferred  going  to  the  ship.  Had 
we  capsized,  sharks  would  have  been  the  chief 
trouble  perhaps.  However,  a  merciful  God  watched 
over  us ;  and  without  His  care  we  could  not  be 
secure  at  any  time, — with  it  we  should  never 
fear.  ,  .  . 

Cape  Palmas,  Oct.  15. —    .  .  ,  The  Ocean  Eagle 
will   sail    in    a    couple    of  days,   and    I    may   be 


76  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

in   Corisco  in  three   weeks  from  to-day,  or  even 
sooner.  .  .  . 

MISS    LATTA    TO    THE   SAME. 

"  OcKAN  Eagle,"  West  Anica, 
Oct.  22,  i860. 

It  seems  scarcely  possible  that  only  a  week  ago 
we  mailed  our  letters  home,  and  now  we  must 
begin  to  write  again  for  the  next  month's  mail. 
In  a  few  days  we  will  be  at  Cape  Coast,  and  I  must 
leave  letters  for  the  steamer  there,  which  you  will 
be  glad  to  receive,  I  suppose,  though  the  date  be 
not  much  later  than  the  last. 

We  are  anchored  off  the  coast  some  twenty 
miles  below  Cape  Palmas,  and  the  natives  have 
been  bringing  palm-oil  on  board  to  trade  with  the 
captain.  I  made  the  acquaintance  to-day  of  "  King 
George,"  but  was  not  riiuch  overawed  at  being  in 
the  presence  of  royalty  for  the  first  time.  His 
majesty  came  on  board  early  this  morning  with 
some  of  his  men,  and  did  not  leave  until  after 
dinner.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  and  myself  dined 
first,  then  the  mates,  and  finally  the  "  king" 
with  one  of  his  "head  men."  His  back  was  to- 
wards us,  so  I  cannot  inform  you  whether  he  used 
his  knife  or  his  fork,  or  either.  His  dress  was 
different  from  any  I  have  yet  seen.  A  cap  of  dark 
cloth,  pointed  at  the  top  and  decorated  with  sev- 
eral  colors,   and   drawn   on  like  a  night-cap  and 


TO   AFRICA.  yy 

confined  by  a  long  band  under  the  chin.  A  cloth 
cloak,  with  sleeves  slightly  flowing,  reached  from 
his  neck  to  his  feet ;  the  sleeves  were  trimmed 
with  a  ruffle  of  the  same.  The  coat  was  cut  some- 
thing like  a  sacque,  and,  being  fastened  only  at  the 
neck,  disclosed  a  dirty  white  shirt,  or  something  I 
took  for  one.  Around  his  waist  was  fastened  a 
very  pretty  red  cotton  cloth  that  fell  a  little  below 
the  knees.  That  is  the  manner  in  which  the  cloth 
is  worn  by  the  most  respectable,  but  many  wear 
only  a  small  piece  fastened  around  the  loins. 

King  George  was  brought  into  the  cabin  and 
introduced  by  the  captain ;  after  shaking  hands 
with  us  all,  he  took  a  seat  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
small  apartment.  Another  man  followed  and  sat 
down  near  him,  after  giving  us  each  a  shake  of  the 
hand. 

After  a  little  conversation  in  broken  English,  I 
was  going  on  with  my  sewing  when  I  heard  the 
king  trying  to  attract  my  attention  by  calling, 
"  My  fren,  my  fren"  (friend).  I  turned  to  him,  when 
he  partly  closed  his  hand,  raised  it  to  his  mouth, 
throwing  back  his  head  a  little,  at  the  same  time 
saying  something  I  did  not  understand.  I  smiled 
and  said,  "  I  no  hear,"  meaning  I  did  not  under- 
stand; though  I  must  confess  the  action  spoke 
pretty  plainly  for  itself  The  other  man  laughed 
and  said,  "  Whisky."  I  told  him,  "Oh,  that  be 
bad.     I   no  have  whisky.     /  no  drink  it."     Then 


78  CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 

added,  "  You  want  drink  ?"  "  Yes,  ma'am."  "  \ 
give  you  water."  He  laughed,  and  said,  "  No,  no." 
So  I  informed  him  that  was  all  I  had  to  drink  my- 
self, and  could  give  him  nothing  else.  In  talking 
with  them,  we  have  to  imitate  their  manner  of 
speaking  as  much  as  possible,  or  they  could  not 
understand. 

The  natives  are  continually  wanting  you  to 
"  dash"  them, — that  is,  make  a  present  of  some 
kind. 

Here  come  the  hot  biscuit  and  tea  !  I  have  been 
sharing  the  table  with  the  plates  and  mugs  for 
some  time. 

October  23. — Good-morning,  dear  Willie.  Our 
vessel  is  still  at  anchor,  which  does  not  mean  at 
rest,  but  rolling  from  side  to  side;  and  the  more 
quiet  I  wish  to  be,  the  more  apparent  that  motion 
becomes.  While  reading,  sewing,  or  eating,  I  am 
not  much  troubled  by  the  rocking,  but  when  I 
attempt  to  use  my  pen  it  is  a  little  unpleasant, — 
not  much  after  all. 

This  morning  we  had  cakes  and  lemonade, — 
limeade  rather.  Our  drinking-cups  were  cocoa- 
nut-shells,  nicely  prepared  by  Mr.  Walker — after 
he  had  taken  out  the  meat — for  our  use.  The 
fresh  nuts  are  very  good,  though  not  quite  as  soft 
as  I  had  supposed  they  would  be,  after  hearing 
that  they  could  be  scraped  out  with  a  spoon. 
Occasionally  you  might  get  one   that   could  be 


TO   AFRICA. 


79 


eaten  in  that  way,  but  it  must  be  quite  young. 
Mr.  Walker  intended  putting  a  handle  on  mine  to 
make  a  dipper  of  it,  but  cannot  supply  himself 
with  materials  very  well  on  board  ship. 

Do  you  remember  the  cups  we  sometimes  had 
at  home  ? 

Fruit  is  not  so  plenty  as  you  may  suppose  along 
the  coast,  as  some  attention  must  be  paid  to  its 
cultivation,  and  the  natives  seldom  take  that  trou- 
ble. Some  of  the  colonists  have  a  great  variety 
of  fruit,  but  the  most  of  them  little  or  none.  We 
are  out  of  Liberia  now,  and  I  do  not  know  that 
we  shall  go  ashore  again,  except  at  Cape  Coast, 
before  reaching  Corisco.  .  .  .  Don't  be  troubled  if 
letters  do  not  always  come  when  you  are  looking 
for  them.  The  Corisco  mail  is  sent  by  boat  some 
distance  to  meet  the  steamer,  and  occasionally 
arrives  too  late.  In  that  case  two  months  would 
go  by  without  your  hearing  from  me.  .  .  . 

MISS    LATTA    TO    THE    SAME. 

EVANGASIMBA,  W.  A.,  Nov.   1 9,   1860. 

Most  probably  a  sheet  of  note-paper  will  hold 
all  that  I  ought  to  write  to-night,  but 

Nov.  20. — Well,  Willie,  dear,  you  will  see  I  did 
not  make  much  progress  in  my  letter  last  evening, 
and  now  Dr.  Loomis  tells  me  that  we  must  hurry 
with  our  letters  for  the  mail. 


So  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Wc  reached  here  last  Friday,  November  i6, 
after  a  voyage  of  exactly  three  and  a  half  months. 
The  next  day  the  vessel  left  for  Gaboon,  and  I 
suppose  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Walker  are  home  by  this 
time.  We  were  sixteen  days  in  coming  from  Cape 
Coast,  a  distance  that  might  have  been  made  in 
a  week  without  any  difficulty,  and  indeed  in  less 
time,  with  favorable  winds  and  current.  That  tried 
our  patience  a  little,  especially  when  we  were  three 
days  in  coming  the  last  forty  miles.  We  ought  to 
be  very  thankful,  however,  for  such  a  pleasant 
voyage  as  ours  has  been.  A  little  time  we  suffered 
from  the  heat  while  crossing  the  Atlantic ;  and  on 
the  coast  we  were  several  times  kept  close  prison- 
ers in  the  cabin  by  a  day  of  heavy  rain;  but  our 
ship  was  a  comfortable  one,  and  we  have  not  had 
any  severe  storms. 

One  tornado,  which  came  before  we  were  quite 
ready  for  it,  sent  the  ship  pretty  far  on  one  side, 
and  tore  one  of  the  sails  into  so  many  pieces  that 
it  was  past  mending.  The  mate  stood  ready  to  cut 
away  the  ropes  attached  to  the  foremast  if  neces- 
sary, but  it  was  not  done. 

One  of  the  Kroomen  cried  out,  "  I  am  dead,  I 
am  dead  !"  and  another,  "  O,  I  shall  never  see  my 
mother  any  more  !"  But  we  did  not  hear  of  that 
until  the  storm  was  over,  not  understanding  their 
language. 

The  stools  moved  from  one  side  of  the  cabin  to 


PLANTAIN-TREE. 


TO  AFRICA.  8 1 

the  other  without  any  apparent  exertion  on  their 
part.  Under  the  berth  in  which  Mrs.  Walker's 
girl  slept  were  a  number  of  wooden  pails,  for  trade 
with  the  natives.  A  nest  of  three  or  four  rolled 
out,  and  Wana  started  after  them  with  more  haste 
than  carefulness.  The  buckets  rolled  into  the  cap- 
tain's stateroom,  and  Wana,  stooping  at  the  door 
to  seize  them  quickly,  was,  by  a  sudden  lurch  of 
the  vessel,  pitched  headlong  into  the  captain's 
berth,  while  another  lot  of  pails  came  rolling  after 
her  with  all  possible  speed. 

As  I  stood  at  the  cabin  door  watching  the  storm 
and  hurrying  sailors,  the  head  Krooman  threw  me 
his  old  blue  flannel  shirt,  to  preserve  it  from  the 
rain.  The  tornado  was  not  a  severe  one,  and  soon 
over ;  if  the  ship  had  not  been  so  light,  and  the 
sails  could  have  been  taken  in  in  time,  there  would 
have  been  no  trouble.  I  knew  there  might  be 
danger,  but  prayed  to  Him  who  ruleth  the  winds 
and  the  waves,  and  He  kept  me  from  all  fear.  God 
has  indeed  been  merciful  to  me  in  all  my  way, 
even  until  this  present  time. 

"  .     .     .     it  will  be  sweet 
That  1  have  toiled  for  other  worlds  than  this." 


82  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
coKisco  girls'  school, 

1860-1862.     Corisco. 

*'  Yes,  the  tiny  coral  insects,  by  their  slow  liut  constant  motion, 
Have  formed  those  lovely  islands  in  the  distant,  dark-blue  ocean  ; 
And  the  noblest  undertakings  that  man's  wisdom  hath  conceived, 
By  oft-repealed  efforts  have  been  patiently  achieved." 

The  missionary  force  which  Miss  Latta  found 
at  Corisco  was  distributed  at  three  locaHties :  at 
Ugobi,*  on  the  southern  end  of  the  island,  Rev.  C. 

*  The  following  rules  for  the  pronunciation  of  the  Benga  words 
as  they  occur  in  the  following  pages  are  equally  applicable  to  all 
the  dialects  of  Equatorial  Africa. 

1.  Give  their  English  sounds  to  all  consonants  except  ^^'j  which 
is  always  hardy — as  "  Tanganyika." 

2.  Give  the  vowel  a  the  force  of  a  in  a\i !  or  father, — for  exam- 
ple, "  Baraka,"  "  mwanga;"  give  the  vowel  a  the  force  of  a  in 
Irtw  orsrtw, — forexample, "  maldnga,"  "  tandaka;"  give  the  vowel  e 
the  force  of  ^  in  th^y,  or  of  «  in  fate, — forexample, "  Nengenenge," 
*'  ejaka ;"  give  the  vowel  S  the  force  of  e  in  m^t  or  ev^ry, — for  ex- 
ample, "  mbadS,"  "  nygngSle  ;"  give  the  vowel  i  the  force  of/  in 
machine,  or  of  ee  in  s^m, — for  example,  "  Benita,"  "ikenga;" 
give  the  vowel  o  the  force  of  o  in  b^jne  or  ^wn, — for  example, 
"Alongo,"  "konongo;"  give  the  vowel  u  the  force  oi  ti  in  r«de, 
or  ol  00  in  moon, — for  example,  "  Ujiji,"  "  ukiiku." 


COR  IS  CO    GIRLS'    SCHOOL.  83 

De  Heer,  with  his  Benga  boys'  school  ;  at  Evan- 
gasimba,  two  miles  distant,  on  the  western  side, 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  T.  S.  Ogden,  stated  supply  of  the 
church ;  C.  L.  Loomis,  M.D.,  and  Mrs.  Loomis, 
superintendent  during  the  absence  of  Rev.  J.  L.  and 
Mrs.  Mackey  in  America;  and  Miss  M.  M.  Jackson, 
in  charge  of  Mrs.  Mackey's  school-girls.  Messrs," 
Loomis  and  Ogden  were  building  a  commodious 
frame  house  only  a  few  hunded  feet  from  the 
Evangasimba  house,  and  distinguished  from  it 
by  a  name  "Itandiluku"  (Sister-love),  which  the 
natives  contracted  to  "  Maluku"  (Sisters).  At 
Alongo,  three  miles  farther,  on  the  northern  end, 
Miss  Jackson's  brother-in-law.  Rev.  W.  Clemens, 
and  his  mainland  boys'  school. 

Writing  from  Evangasimba,  on  November  20, 
i860,  to  her  brother.  Miss  Latta  continues  : 

"  I  am  staying  now  with  Dr.  Loomis  and  his 
wife  at  the  principal  station,  but  will  be  in  Mr. 
Ogden's  family  as  soon  as  their  new  house  has 
another  room  completed.  Dr.  Loomis  is  very 
kind  and  thoughtful.  I  like  him  very  much,  as  I 
do  all  the  other  missionaries.  Miss  Jackson,  with 
whom  I  am  to  be  associated,  is  rather  quiet,  but 
very  kind,  pleasant,  and  lovable.     I  have  not  yet 

3.  Close  every  syllable  with  a  vowel, — as  "  Bo-lo-ndo,"  "bwe- 
a-kwe." 

4.  Accent  (with  an  exception  not  necessary  here  to  mention) 
the  next  to  the  last  syllable, — as  "  Evangaj/mba,"  "  iivanda." 


84  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

commenced  on  any  of  my  new  duties,  as  they  wish 
me  to  rest  a  short  time. 

"The  first  night  I  was  here  several  red  spots  ap- 
peared on  the  back  of  my  hands,  which  I  supposed 
to  be  the  bite  of  some  insect,  and  congratulated 
myself  that  they  gave  mc  no  uneasiness.  Sunday 
morning  Dn  Loomis  observed  them,  and  asked  me 
what  I  thought  had  caused  them.  When  I  told 
him,  he  said,  no,  it  was  a  mark  of  fever;  but  he 
was  glad  to  see  them,  as  they  showed  the  fever 
was  coming  to  the  surface.  He  said  the  spots 
might  appear  and  disappear  half  a  dozen  times 
before  I  would  have  an  attack.  They  were  about 
the  size  of  a  three-cent  piece,  or  smaller,  and  were 
gone  the  next  day,  except  a  purplish  spot  that  had 
marked  the  centre.  Doctor  says,  '  Let  the  fever 
come;  do  not  be  troubled  about  it ;'  and  I  am  sure 
I  am  not  troubled  in  the  least.  If  it  comes,  well ; 
if  it  stays  away,  perhaps  better.  I  am  very  well 
now,  and  I  know  that  if  careful  I  shall  continue  so 
as  long  as  it  is  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father  that 
I  "should."  .  .  . 

Opportunities  for  sending  mails  were  rare,  na- 
tive boat-crews  expensive  and  difficult  to  be  ob- 
tained because  of  tribal  quarrels;  so  that  casual 
opportunities  of  passing  trading  vessels  were  used. 
Miss  Latta's  slight  knowledge  of  medicine  soon 
came  into  use  for  herself  and  others.     Though  the 


COR  IS  CO    GIRLS'   SCHOOL.  85 

presence  of  Dr.  Loomis  was  a  great  advantage,  she 
had  come  to  the  country  with  a  well-selected  chest 
of  medicines  from  her  brother's  employers,  Ellis  & 
Co.,  Philadelphia,  and  with  prescriptions  from  Dr. 
Clement  L.  Finley,  which  she  herself  could  fill  out. 

MISS  LATTA  TO  HER  BROTHER,  W.  J.  LATTA. 

CoRisco,  Dec.  26,  i860,  9  P.M. 

This  writing  at  night  is  one  thing  I  had  resolved 
never  to  do  if  it  could  possibly  be  avoided ;  but  at 
the  present  time  I  am  scarcely  breaking  my  reso- 
lution, for  I  do  not  know  what  other  opportunity 
I  shall  have  to  get  letters  ready  for  the  "  Homer." 
A  boat  leaves  for  Gaboon,  where  the  vessel  is 
lying,  early  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  and  I 
shall  have  no  more  time  to  write  to-morrow  than 
I  have  had  to-day,  and  it  was  only  yesterday  even- 
ing we  received  the  word. 

This  may  reach  you  before  the  letters  sent  by 
mail  last  week ;  and,  if  so,  you  will  be  spared 
some  anxiety.  I  was  sick  with  the  fever  all  last 
week,  and  had  to  beg  hard  to  be  allowed  to  put  in 
the  few  lines  I  added  to  the  close  of  your  letter. 
Miss  Jackson  wanted  to  write  them  for  me;  but  I 
knew  that  would  alarm  you  needlessly.  It  was 
my  first  attack  of  fever,  and  not  very  serious.  Dr. 
Loomis  was  very  sick  when  I  was  taken,  and  Miss 
Jackson  not  at  all  well ;  but  she  was  able  to  attend 
to  me  and  prepare  my  medicines.  I  followed  Cousin 

8* 


86  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Clement's  prescription  in  part,  but  could  not  adhere 
to  it  strictly,  as  Miss  Jackson  could  not  find  the 
bottle  of  comp.  cath.  pills.  I  sent  to  Mrs.  Looniis 
for  some ;  but  she  gave  me  something  else  which 
did  as  well.  Thursday  afternoon  I  was  carried  up 
here  toMrs.  Ogden's  in  a  hammock,  as  we  had  in- 
tended moving  the  girls'  school  the  beginning  of 
the  week.  The  station  is  near  and  connected  with 
Evangasimba. 

Mrs.  Ogden  was  not  well,  and  went  to  Gaboon 
on  a  visit  the  day  we  moved  up ;  so  Miss  Jackson 
was  nurse  and  housekeeper,  besides  having  charge 
of  the  girls.  Now  that  I  am  pretty  well,  she  keeps 
house,  and  I  keep  the  children.  I  have  just  let 
five  of  them  go  to  bed  for  the  second  time  to- 
night ;  they  kept  up  such  a  talking  that  I  made 
the  larger  ones  put  on  their  dresses  and  come 
down  into  this  room  for  a  little  while,  till  they 
would  be  tired  and  sleepy  enough  to  let  their 
tongues  rest.  As  this  is  a  new  house,  and  not 
yet  completed,  I  am  not  yet  settled  in  my  own 
room.  As  soon  as  the  boards  are  laid  on  the 
floor  above,  I  can  move  in  and  leave  Miss  Jackson 
sole  occupant  of  this  apartment.  The  house  is 
frame,  no  ceilings,  and  no  plastering ;  but  we  hope 
to  cover  the  sides  of  our  rooms  with  paper  as  soon 
as  it  arrives  from  America.  Parlor,  dining-room 
(a  very  little  one),  study,  and  sleeping  apartment 
are  all  on  the  first  floor.     The  house  is  raised  on 


COR  IS  CO   GIRLS'   SCHOOL. 


87 


posts  some  eight  feet  from  the  ground  ;  it  is  thought 
to  be  healthier. 

I  have  amused  the  children  sometimes  telling 
them  ^ibout  my  brother  Willie  when  he  was  a  little 
fellow,  and  they  all  think  he  must  be  something 
remarkable.  Behali,  one  of  the  little  girls,  beo-o-ed 
me  to  tell  you  that  you  are  her  "  biggest  friend,"  and 
she  would  like  you  to  write  her  a  letter.  Several 
of  them  were  in  my  room  a  k\v  weeks  ago,  looking 
at  some  pictures,  when  Matuku,  one  of  my  favor- 
ites, said,  "  Eh,  mamma,  I  want  to  see  my  friend 
Willie."  When  I  showed  them  your  photograph, 
they  were  very  much  pleased,  except  one  child, 
who  said,  in  a  disappointed  tone  of  voice,  "  Eh, 
mamma,  I  thought  Willie  wore  frocks."  Perhaps 
you  will  not  be  much  flattered  by  the  admiration 
of  my  children ;  but  they  are  pretty  fine  little  girls 
for  the  most  part.  They  all  call  me  "  Mamma 
Latta;"  and  I  am  quite  proud  of  the  title.  Here 
comes  Miss  Jackson;  I  must  not  write  much 
longer  now,  because  I  ought  to  be  to  bed  and 
rest.  We  rise  at  six,  have  half  an  hour  to  dress, 
and  then  the  bell  rings  for  prayers.  Breakfast  at 
seven.  I  told  this'  to  some  one  before, — was  it 
you  ?  We  dine  at  twelve,  or  a  few  minutes  after, 
and  take  tea  at  five.  The  bell  rings  for  worship 
again  at  half-past  six;  and  then  some  one  must 
keep  the  girls  until  eight,  their  bed-time.  The 
rest  of  us  retire  when  we  please. 


88  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

A  change  was  made  in  the  school  arrangements 
by  the  marriage  of  Miss  Jackson,  in  January,  i86i, 
with  Rev.  W.  H.  Clark,  of  Gaboon,  and  their 
transfer  to  Alongo.  Mrs.  Clark,  writing  from 
Alongo,  February  12,  1861,  to  Miss  Jenny  W. 
Baird,  of  Washington,  Pa.,  says : 

"  You  are  perhaps  aware  that,  by  the  '  Ocean 
Eagle,'  another  young  lady  assistant  was  added  to 
our  number,  in  the  person  of  Miss  Latta,  from 
Chestnut  Hill,  Pa.  She  is  a  dear,  sweet  sister ; 
but  I  fear  her  .strength  will  prove  insufficient  to 
her  cares  in  this  trying  climate.  She  is  now  feeble, 
and  it  is  not  quite  three  months  since  her  arrival. 
The  girls'  school  was  removed  to  the  new  building, 
a  short  distance  from  Mr.  Mackey's,  which  was 
built  by  Mr.  Ogden  for  the  girls'  school;  and  it  is 
now  under  his  care.  That  station  is  manned  by 
Mr,  and  Mrs.  Ogden  and  Miss  Latta." 

Years  later,  Mrs,  Nassau  wrote,  of  an  experience 
at  this  period,  thus  : 

"  Shortly  after  my  arrival,  one  of  the  young  girls 
asked  me  about  the  shirts  she  was  sewing,  and  I 
replied,  *  I  don't  know  any  more  than  you  do.' 
She  opened  her  big  eyes  very  wide  indeed,  and 
said,  in  English, '  Mamma,  you  don't  know  shirts?' 

'"Yes,  Matuku  ;  I  don't  know  shirts.' 

"  '  Mamma,  what  will  you  do  ?'  (Sewing  shirts 
was  one  of  their  constant  occupations.) 

"  '  Well,  Matuku,  I  suppose  I  must  learn.'     And 


C  ORIS  CO   GIRLS'   SCHOOL.  89 

I  have  long  ago  learned  the  mysteries  of  collars 
and  gussets,  and  yokes  and  bands." 

Miss  Latta  took  up  her  work  cheerfully, — not 
unmindful  of  its  responsibility,  but  with  a  light- 
heartedness  that  threw  aside  anxiety,  and  a  bravery 
that  overcame  trouble.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Ogden, 
May  12,  1861,  she  disbanded  her  school,  to  aid, 
with  young  Charity  Sneed  (Mrs.  Ogden's  Liberian 
assistant),  in  the  care  of  little  fatherless  Spencer, 
and  in  the  household  arrangements  of  kitchen, 
payments  of  natives,  etc.  In  paying  employees, 
and  in  buying  native  provisions,  all  sums  are 
reckoned  not  in  money,  but  in  goods, — e.g.  beads, 
crockery,  hardware,  cloths,  etc. 

MISS    LATTA   TO    MR.  W.  J.  LATTA. 

CoRisco,  West  Africa. 
Maluku,  June  10,  1S61. 

Where  do  you  find  time  to  write  me  such  good, 
long  letters  as  you  send  me  every  month  ?  Why, 
the  mere  sight  of  this,  my  extensive  sheet,  is 
almost  enough  to  bring  on  a  small  fever.  No,  I 
feel  better  now,  after  taking  the  scissors  and  clip- 
ping off  a  few  lines  at  the  lower  end.  .  ,  .  Willie, 
you  ought  to  make  some  inquiries  in  regard  to  my 
children  (your  little  nieces),  my  occupations,  etc., 
because  I  never  know  what  to  tell  you  would  be 
particularly  interesting.  One  piece  of  information 
I  can  give  you  :   no  letters  came  for  me  last  mail, 


90 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


and  I  was  disappointed  ;  but  it  is  the  first  time  that 
I  have  been  disappointed,  so  I  should  not  com- 
plain. They  are  looking  for  a  vessel  at  Gaboon, 
which  may  have  our  mail  on  board.  I  wish  it  a 
speedy  passage. 

We  are  hoping  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackey  have 
sailed ;  but  we  cannot  look  for  them  before  Sep- 
tember, I  suppose.  It  will  be  a  joyful  day  in  the 
mission  when  we  can  welcome  them  back. 

Mrs.  Ogden  and  I  am  still  at  this  station,  but 
we  have  not  taken  back  the  girls  yet,  on  account 
of  the  continued  sickness  of  Mrs.  Ogden's  babe. 
He  seems  better  now,  and  I  informed  her  at 
dinner  that  I  was  ready  for  the  school  to  com- 
mence again  next  week,  if  she  would  be  ready. 
Of  course,  I  could  not  expect  any  assistance  from 
her  in  the  care  of  the  girls.  One  of  the  men  has 
come  to  recite;  please  excuse  me  a  little  while. 
Willie,  do  you  know  that  Corisco  snails  are  desti- 
tute of  any  sense  of  honor?  A  woman  brought 
me  some  snails  several  weeks  ago,  which  I  bought, 
as  the  shells  were  pretty,  and  deposited  them  on 
the  porch.  The  next  day,  when  I  went  to  take  a 
look  at  my  purchase, — would  you  believe  it? — they 
had  all  crawled  away ;  money  gone,  snails  gone ! 
That  same  week  a  woman  bought  a  pineapple  to  sell, 
for  which  I  offered  her  a  small  article.  While  I  went 
to  get  it  she  sold  the  pineapple  to  Ibolo  (the  native 
who  buys  for  Mrs,  Ogden),  and  then  asked  me  to 


COR  IS  CO  GIRLS'   SCHOOL. 


91 


give  her  the  article  for  "  a  dash"  (present).  When 
I  tell  you  I  gave  it,  you  will  not  be  disposed  to 
think  very  highly  of  my  trading  faculties. 

I  do  not  get  tired  of  Corisco,  of  the  trees  that 
never  lose  their  green,  or  of  the  natives  who  are 
always  black,  but  I  do  get  //rtv/ of  writing  the  same 
things  over  and  over  again  to  so  many  different 
individuals.  Mr.  Walker  told  me  if  I  wanted  to 
write  a  book,  I  should  do  it  the  first  year, — I  would 
find  so  much  more  to  say.  Well,  I  don't  want  to 
write  a  book  ;  and,  besides,  the  year  is  almost 
ended ;  it  will  be  nine  months  on  Saturday  since 
the  stormy  day  we  anchored  off  Monrovia. 

yujic  II. — Here  are  Mrs.  Ogden  and  the  baby, 
come  to  pay  me  a  visit ;  so  I  don't  know  how  I 
shall  talk  to  you  and  entertain  them  at  the  same 
time, — that  is,  in  a  sensible  manner.  You  must  go 
and  see  Mrs,  Ogden  when  she  goes  home ;  she 
will  be  in  Philadelphia  for  a  time.  I  think  you  will 
like  her  very  much,  if  she  should  be  cheerful  as 
she  sometin:ies  is ;  but  her  heart  is  heavy  yet  from 
the  great  loss  she  has  sustained. 

Perhaps  she  may  tell  you  how  troubled  she  used 
to  be  at  times,  because  there  was  no  fresh  meat  to 
be  had,  and  I  would  not  eat  salt  beef  and  mackerel. 
Chickens  are  scarce  now,  and  the  natives  will 
bring  a  little  one,  not  fit  to  kill,  and  ask  the  price 
of  a  good-sized  fowl.  You  tell  them  it  is  not  worth 
so  much,  but  they  reply,  "  Oh,  it  will  grow  !"   Sup- 


92 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


pose  you  buy  it  with  the  understanding  tliat  it  is 
to  grow ;  perhaps  it  lives,  perhaps  a  snake  will  kill 
it,  or  it  may  wander  off  to  town,  and  never  wander 
back  again. 

Sometimes  we  have  a  young  kid,  and  that  is 
pretty  good,  only  I  should  prefer  it  without  the 
slight  flavor  of  mutton.  We  have  several  goats, 
but  each  mother-goat  has  two  or  three  young  kids 
the  greater  part  of  the  time,  so  that  they  are  not 
worth  much  for  their  supply  of  milk.  As  I  have 
learned  to  prefer  coffee  without  milk,  and  I  don't 
like  puddings,  I  rarely  miss  the  milk.  It  would  be 
good  with  mush;  but  mush  is  good  seasoned  with 
salt,  if  one  only  thinks  so. 

You  must  call  Aunt  Margaretta's  attention  to 
this  letter  particularly;  let  me  think  if  I  can  recall 
any  more  inconveniences  for  her  benefit.  Our  but- 
ter is  soft,  but  not  so  soft  as  to  drop  ofT  the  knife, 
as  it  sometimes  did  on  shipboard,  when  we  were 
not  careful.  The  last  Mrs.  Ogden  got  from  the 
store-house  was  sixty  cents  a  pound,  but  it  usually 
is  fifty  cents.  Our  flour  is  almost  done;  but,  if  the 
supply  is  exhausted  before  another  ship  arrives,  we 
must  live  on  our  corn-bread.  Sugar  is  also  nearly 
out,  but  I  shall  only  miss  that  in  limeade,  not  being 
fond  of  cakes,  custards,  or  preserves.  As  the  lime- 
trees  are  not  bearing  very  plentifully  just  now, 
perhaps  I  shall  be  so  fortunate  as  not  to  miss  the 
sugar  at  all.     Mrs.  Ogden  makes  corn-coffee  for 


CORISCO   GIRLS'   SCHOOL. 


93 


me  every  day,  as  I  thought  the  other  did  not  agree 
with  me  very  well.  You  might  think  the  other 
missionaries  could  use  molasses  to  sweeten  their 
coffee ;  but  the  only  cask  of  molasses  (syrup,  I  be- 
lieve) that  is  on  hand  went  to  work  on  its  own 
account  before  it  was  opened,  and  it  is  too  sour  to 
sweeten  coffee ;  otherwise,  I  believe,  it  tastes  very 
well,  and  Dr.  Loomis  says  I  will  like  it ;  but  we 
have  not  had  any  yet.  My  dear  Willie,  have  I 
said  enough  about  provisions  for  one  letter  ? 

One  of  my  scholars  (I  have  but  two  now)  is 
waiting  to  recite  his  lesson.  As  he  doesn't  know 
English,  and  I  don't  know  Benga  (though  I  can 
pronounce  it  tolerably),  you  may  imagine  what 
progress  a  dull  pupil  would  make. 

A  youthful  missionary  is  often  placed  in  situa- 
tions where  inexperience  is  tried  in  responsible 
offices,  and  tender  women  bear  and  do  what  might 
appal  strong  manhood.  Within  a  year  after  her 
arrival  at  Corisco,  Miss  Latta,  under  stress  of  duty, 
shared,  as  nurse  and  assistant  in  surgery,  in  a  scene 
whose  remembrance,  though  her  part  was  acted 
bravely  and  efficiently,  she  never  willingly  recalled. 
Her  work  was  increasing  as  the  missionary  com- 
pany was  diminishing  in  strength  and  numbers. 
She  attended  to  the  remnant  of  her  school ;  and 
then,  mounted  on  the  mission  Yoruba  pony 
"  Charley,"  would  visit  her  native   friends   in   the 

9 


94 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


villages,  or  recreate  herself  by  a  call  at  Alongo,  on 
her  dear  friend,  Mrs.  Clark,  who,  in  July,  i86i,was 
about  leaving  for  a  furlough  in  America. 

The  rebellion  had  broken  out  in  America;  Miss 
Latta's  brother  had  enlisted  as  lieutenant  in  the 
Eighth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  the  stress  of 
patriotism  and  sisterly  affection  were  added  to  her 
mission  work.  The  destructions  by  the  "Alabama" 
and  other  cruisers  made  the  reception  of  supplies 
and  even  of  letters  thenceforward  for  years  irregu- 
lar and  scanty. 

T/  MISS    LATTA    io    LIEUTENANT   ^V.  J.  LATTA. 

CoRisco,  W.  A.,  July  30,  1861. 

I  fear  if  I  tell  you  I  do  not  love  to  write  short 
and  hasty  letters,  you  will  be  tempted  to  doubt 
my  veracity,  for  here  is  another  of  that  kind. 
There  is  a  vessel  in  Gaboon  expecting  to  sail  to- 
morrow for  New  York ;  and  should  she  sail  to- 
morrow, the  boat  leaving  here  in  the  morning  will 
not  take  my  letter  in  time. 

Mrs.  Loomis  is  still  very  sick,  and  Dr.  Loomis, 
I  fear,  may  have  a  bad  attack  of  fever.  Other  mis- 
sionaries are  pretty  well. 

The  American  mail  came  to-night,  but  letters 
that  I  expected  from  you  have  probably  been  sent 
out  on  the  "Ocean  Eagle."  I  received  letters  from 
Aunt  Mary  Ann  and  you,  dated  March,  which 
would  have  reached  me  just  two  months  ago  if  sent 


CORISCO    GIRLS'   SCHOOL.  95 

by  mail ;  but  they  had  been  put  on  a  schooner  at  the 
Mission  House,  and  were  four  months  on  their  way. 

You  do  not  know  what  a  disappointment  it  is 
when  the  mail  brings  me  no  letter. 

Oh,  my  brother,  I  wish  there  was  peace  at  home! 
If  it  were  not  that  I  trust  in  the  goodness  of  God, 
I  should  feel  much  troubled  about  you ;  but  I 
know  that  "  He  doeth  all  things  well."  Still,  I  can- 
not help  wishing  some  word  had  come  by  this 
mail.  War  had  not  commenced  at  the  last  dates, 
but  it  may  be  raging  now. 

MISS    LATTA    TO    HER  AUNT,  MISS    M.  A.  LATTA. 
CoRlsco,  W.  A.,  July  30,  1861. 

Your  letter,  of  March  22,  made  its  appearance 
this  evening,  and  if  it  had  come  by  mail  you  might 
have  been  reading  the  reply  to-night. 

Letters  are  so  frequently  delayed  from  one  cause 
and  another,  that  you  must  never  think  it  strange 
if  you  get  no  answer  for  a  long  time  to  some  things 
you  wonder  I  should  neglect. 

In  the  first  place,  now  I  do  thank  you  very  much 
for  the  aprons  and  the  dark  dress  that  I  learn  are 
on  the  way  for  my  children.  You  could  not  please 
me  better  than  by  sending  such  things  to  my 
numerous  family.  I  am  glad  the  dress  is  dark,  as 
Julia  is  rather  hard  on  her  clothes  and  I  like  her 
to  look  respectable, — at  least  if  clean  clothes  would 
make  her  so. 


» 


96  CROWNED   JN  PALM-LAND. 


I\Irs.  Clark  has  gone  to  America.  Mr.  Clark 
accompanied  her  to  Fernando  Po,  where  she  was 
to  take  the  steamer,  and  meet  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bush- 
nell  of  the  Gaboon  Mission. 

You  wonder  I  wanted  new  things  so  soon.  Well, 
they  will  not  reach  me  until  I  have  been  here 
nearly  a  year.  Some  things  I  gave  away  and  some 
I  sold, — not  as  a  money-making  speculation,  but 
because  others  needed  them  more  than  I  did,  and 
they  would  not  take  them  as  a  gift. 

I  don't  know  what  to  say  about  quilts.  The 
children  use  them.  Not  very  large  size;  but  any 
you  would  make  would  be  too  good  to  give  them. 
I  generally  prefer  spreads  for  myself  I  sleep  under 
a  blanket  the  most  of  the  year,  occasionally  two. 

To  compensate  the  loss  of  frequent  sight  of  each 
others'  faces,  tied  as  the  mission  company  were  by 
their  local  duties,  they  would  let  scarcely  a  day 
pass  without  sending  pupils  as  messengers  with 
letters  and  notes  of  salutation,  or  exchange  of  some 
dainty  received  from  American  homes  or  purchased 
from  some  chance  native  opportunity. 

MISS    LATTA    TO    REV.  WM.  CLEMENS. 

Mai.ukit,  Aug.  5,  1861. 
Your  boys  have  come,  and  I  put  aside  a  very 
uninteresting  letter  I  am  trying  to  write  to  America, 
to  send  you  a  few  lines. 


COR  IS  CO    GIRLS'   SCHOOL. 


97 


Thank  you  for  your  care  of  "  Polly ;"  I  don't 
know  what  we  should  have  done  with  her  while 
Mrs.  Ogden  was  sick.  We  have  not  heard  from 
Evangasimba  this  morning.  Mrs.  Ogden  was  down 
there  yesterday  afternoon.  Mrs.  Loomis  still  had 
fever,  but  her  pulse  was  109  ;  lower  than  it  had 
been,  though  not  so  low  as  at  one  time.  Dr. 
Loomis  said  it  was  malignant  or  continued  fever, 
which  lasts  from  seven  to  thirty-five  days,  and  that 
she  had  passed  the  first  crisis. 

I  had  a  short  note  from  Brother  De  Heer  on 
Saturday  night;  he  was  not  at  all  well;  but  we 
have  heard  since  that  he  preached  yesterday.  His 
boys  have  not  been  over  to-day. 

Dr.  L.  was  not  out  yesterday.  Ib;z5pe  took  c\l 
charge  of  the  meeting,  and  it  was  conducted  as  a 
prayer-meeting.  Ibolo  would  not  take  charge. 
Andeke  was  absent,  and  Ubengi  was  the  only 
other  one  present  who  could  read.  IbcJpe,  Imunga,  ci/ 
and  Ubengi  spoke;  they  all  lamented  much  that  a 
Sabbath  should  have  come  on  which  there  was  no 
white  missionary  able  to  address  them ;  and  one  of 
them  remarked  it  was  probably  a  judgment  from 
God  on  Benga  Christians.  All  seemed  to  feel  a 
desire  that  religion  might  be  revived  in  their 
midst;  and  Ubengi  proposed  that  they  should  have 
a  prayer-meeting  in  the  afternoon,  if  the  bell  did 
not  ring  for  Sabbath-school. 

In  the  evening  monthly  concert  was  held,  and 
9* 


98  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Andcke  conducted  the  exercises.  Many  of  the 
young  men  were  present,  and  the  meeting  was 
quite  interesting.  I  suppose  they  met  for  prayer 
in  the  afternoon,  as  there  was  no  Sunday-school 
in  the  church. 

Mrs.  Ogden  and  the  baby  are  well.  I  am  con- 
tented and  happy  in  my  work ;  but  very  unfaithful 
to  the  souls  committed  to  my  charge. 

After  a  protracted  illness,  Mrs.  Loomis^  died  in 
the  middle  of  August,  i86i.  The  mission  was  re- 
inforced by  the  landing,  on  the  12th  of  September, 
of  Rev.  J.  L.and  Mrs.  Mackey.Mrs.G.  M.  McQueen, 
and  Rev.  R.  H.  Nassau,  M.D.  The  latter  two  were 
located  at  Maluku  ;  the  former  two  resumed  their 
work  at  Evangasimba;  and  in  October  Dr.  Loomis 
and  Mrs.  Ogden,  with  her  baby  and  Charity  Sneed, 
returned  to  America.  The  girls'  school  was  en- 
larged in  the  number  of  pupils.  Miss  Latta  entered 
on  the  second  year  of  her  mission  life.  The  young 
ladies  of  a  Sabbath-school  class  at  Washington, 
Pa.,  had  supported  Ijule,  a  most  interesting  pupil 
of  the  school,  while  it  was  in  Miss  Jackson's  (Mrs. 
Clark)  care,  naming  her,  for  their  teacher,  "Jennie 
Baird."  Ijule  had  been  removed  by  her  parents; 
and  Miss  Baird's  class  wrote  to  have  the  name  and 
support  given  to  another  child. 


CORISCO   GIRLS'   SCHOOL.  99 

MISS    LATTA    TO    MISS   J.  W.  BAIRD. 

CoRisco,  W.  A. 
Itandii.uku,  Dec.  19,  '61. 

Our  letters  must  be  ready  in  less  than  an  hour, 
and  I  do  not  like  the  mail  to  go  without  an  answer 
to  the  one  you  sent  Mrs.  Clark.  I  am  trying  to 
write  in  the  midst  of  my  little  flock. 

It  is  after  evening  prayers,  when  the  larger  girls 
study  a  hymn  for  Sabbath,  and  the  small  ones  are 
taught,  sometimes  orally,  and  sometimes  called  to 
recite  by  myself.  The  hymn  this  week  was  "  Rock 
of  Ages,"  and,  though  this  is  only  Thursday  night, 
they  all  know  it,  having  learned  it  in  part  before,  I 
think. 

Mrs.  McQueen,  Mr.  Clark,  and  Dr.  Nassau  are 
writing  in  "  the  big  house"  (as  we  say),  and  all 
seemed  a  little  surprised  that  I  should  make  an 
attempt  to  write  while  taking  care  of  the  girls.  I 
told  the  children  I  was  going  to  write  to  a  lady 
who  liked  to  hear  about  girls ;  and  so  they  are  all 
on  their  good  behavior,  that  I  may  send  a  pleasant 
report  of  my  children. 

The. one  we  have  chosen  to  take  the  name  of 
"Jennie  Baird"  is  a  little  girl  of  a  bright,  happy 
temper,  and  a  favorite  with  all.  Her  native  name 
is  Elungu,  and  she  seemed  quite  pleased  with  the 
new  one,  though  she  keeps  forgetting  it  all  the 
time.  She  is  just  beginning  to  read  and  talk  Eng- 
lish ;   but  we  hope  she  will   be  one  of  our  best 


lOO  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

scholars,  as  she  comes  from  a  good  famil}'.  You 
would  like  to  hear  her  talk  English.  Sometimes 
she  puts  her  arm  beside  mine  and  says,  "  Give  me 
white  ;  you  take  my  black."  When  I  asked  her 
what  word  I  should  send,  she  hesitated,  and  the 
others  began  to  answer  for  her,  "  Elungu  sews 
good ;"  "  Elungu  is  a  good  girl ;"  and  one  little 
child  said  tell  you  that  "  Elungu  is  a  velly  (very) 
little  girl." 

She  is  about  eight  years  old,  and  sews  better 
than  most  girls  in  America  of  her  age :  she  can 
make  her  dresses  very  well  when  the  work  is 
basted,  excepting  gathering  the  skirt.  To  be  sure, 
she  has  been  longer  in  school  than  many  of  the 
other  little  ones. 

A  younger  sister  came  a  ^^^^  weeks  ago,  and  it 
was  quite  pretty  to  see  the  motherly  way  in  which 
Elungu  took  the  little  one  around  for  the  first  few 
days.  Jennie  Raird  (Clark)  is  back  in  school,  and 
very  anxious  to  stay,  but  we  fear  she  will  not  be 
with  us  long.  Her  father  has  betrothed  her  to  a 
polygamist  on  the  island  of  Elobi,  and  the  man 
says  she  must  go  to  his  home  soon.  We  are  all 
very  sorry,  especially  as  Ijule  herself  is  so  much 
opposed  to  it ;  but  "  the  things"  have  all  been  paid, 
and  I  suppose  there  is  no  escape.  It  is  a  sin  and 
a  shame!  .  .  .  We  have  twenty-three  girls  in 
school  at  present.  Tell  the  young  friends  they 
must  pray  that  God  will  bless  the  dear  little  girl 


COR  IS  CO   GIRLS'   SCHOOL.  loi 

they  have  chosen  to  support ;  and  I  pray  that 
they  may  give  their  own  hearts  to  the  Lord,  who 
rules  over  all. 

Within  a  year  Ijule  was  dragged  away  by  three 
drunken  men, — her  father,  uncle,  and  betrothed, 
A  maddening  scene,  that  burned  itself  into  memory. 
More  than  nine  years  afterward,  when  Mrs.  Nassau 
was  in  her  grave,  Ijule  was  brought  to  light  as  a 
Christian  inquirer  in  a  manner  that  shamed  our 
weaker  faith,  that  had  given  her  up  for  lost,  or  that 
looked  upon  her  education  as  wasted. 

In  January,  1862,  came  one  of  those  events  which 
test  strength,  and  which  revealed  Miss  Latta's  calm- 
ness in  danger,  decision,  and  versatility  of  resource. 

UkukiL  means  a  departed  spirit  (plural,  viekuhi). 
It  also  means  a  secret  society,  into  which  all  males 
are  initiated  at  puberty,  whose  proceedings  may 
not  be  seen  by  females,  nor  its  laws  disobeyed  by 
any  one  under  pain  of  death,  —  commuted,  occa- 
sionally, to  a  heavy  fine.  Its  decisions  are  uttered 
as  an  oracle  from  any  secluded  spot  by  some  man 
appointed  for  the  purpose.  On  trivial  occasions 
any  man  may  personate  Ukuku,  and  issue  com- 
mands for  his  family.  On  other  occasions,  as  in 
strikes  to  raise  prices,  this  society  lays  its  com- 
mands on  foreign  traders,  and  other  white  men. 
Sometimes  representatives  of  the  fraternity  from 
several  tribes  discuss  inter-tribal  difficulties. 


102  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

The  Ukuku  of  Kombe,  a  tribe  forty  miles  north 
of  Corisco,  was  angry  at  the  spread  of  Christianity 
there,  and  came  to  Corisco  to  consult  with  the 
"sons  of  Belial"  there  against  our  work  and 
schools.  It  came  in  a  company  of  forty  or  fifty 
men,  on  the  evening  of  January  lo,  filing  in  front 
of  the  Maluku  school-house,  and  the  children  fled 
in  dread  to  hide  their  faces  in  their  bedroom. 

The  next  morning  two  old  Benga  men  from  the 
village  of  Esowc,  who  were  respectively  father  and 
step-father  of  two  of  the  girls,  hastily  came  to 
the  front  yard,  and  entered  the  house  excitedly. 
Instead  of  coming  in  deliberately,  sitting  down, 
arranging  their  persons,  and  then  awaiting  the 
salutation,  "  Albold"  (May  you  live  to  be  old),  they, 
without  seating  themselves,  said,  "  Ndakiya  inzvan^ 
ame"  (Call  my  child).  This  being  a  demand,  and 
not  a  respectful  request,  as  would  be  indicated  by 
the  usual  addition  '"ivc?"  (please),  it  was  not  com- 
plied with  promptly.  The  elder  of  the  two  started 
to  go  through  the  hall  to  seize  his  daughter.  They 
were  induced  to  sit ;  and  then  they  told  the  excited 
rumors  that  were  flying  of  danger  to  our  house, 
and  their  desire  to  remove  their  children  from  that 
danger.  The  children  were  brought,  and  the  father 
unceremoniously  marched  off  with  his,  without  the 
courteous  intimation,  ^^ Mb'  'alandi;  zvi'.'"'  (I  am 
going),  or  even  the  final  word,  "Mbi  valiiidi''  (I  am 
gone). 


COR  IS  CO   GIRLS'   SCHOOL. 


103 


Mrs.  McQueen  and  Miss Latta  were  both  present; 
the  latter  had  acted  as  interpreter  during  the  con- 
versation, with  her  rapidly-acquired  knowledge  of 
the  language,  and  now  interfered  with  the  step- 
father, induced  him  to  sit  again,  represented  the 
foolishness  of  the  fear  he  was  impressing  on  the 
child's  mind,  laughed  at  Ukuku  with  an  audacity 
that  amazed  him,  flatly  said  (what  for  a  native  to 
say  would  be  death),  "  Ukiikii  a  ndi  vionw,  pa" 
(Ukuku  is  only  a  man),  added  some  entreaties,  and 
enforced  them  with  a  small  gift,  until  the  man  him- 
self laughed,  and  went  away  satisfied,  leaving  the 
child  in  her  hands. 

About  noon  of  the  same  day,  just  as  school  was 
closed,  another  cry  of  fear  was  raised, — the  children 
scattered  in  all  directions.  Some  immediately  re- 
turned after  the  first  paroxysm  of  fear;  others 
were  apprehended  and  brought  back  by  the  more 
faithful  of  our  native  assistants;  others  had  fled  to 
their  villages.  Miss  Latta  rose  from  a  couch  of 
weakness  to  meet  the  trying  circumstances,  and, 
gathering  the  returning  children,  locked  them  in 
her  own  room,  partly  for  retention  and  partly  to 
gratify  their  own  wish  to  escape  the  light  of  day 
and  Ukuku's  face.  While  at  dinner,  three  women, 
belonging  to  a  man  who  had  three  girls  in  the 
school,  came  and  demanded  their  children.  These 
being  safely  locked  up,  Miss  Latta  told  them  she 
would    yield    them    only  to    their  father.      They 


104 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


reviled  her,  but  the  dinner  was  proceeded  with. 
Presently  their  husband  came,  in  blustering, 
drunken  haste.  Miss  Latta  knew  him  well,  and 
hinted  that  when  drunk  his  vanity  was  man- 
ageable. He  drew  a  long  knife  and  plunged  at 
our  dog  that  had  sprung  at  him.  The  dog  was 
bidden  down,  the  angry  man  appeased;  Mrs. 
McQueen  adroitly  invited  him  to  the  table  at  the 
best  seat,  and  his  plate  was  heaped  with  yams, 
and  bread,  and  chicken,  and  plantain.  He  became 
voluble,  friendly,  and  witty ;  dismissed  his  women; 
requested  to  see  his  two  younger  children;  with  a 
face  terrible  in  passion  ordered  them  to  remain  at 
school ;  passed  his  knife  across  his  own  throat  as 
a  threat  of  what  he  would  do  if  they  disobeyed, 
and  handed  them  back  to  Miss  Latta. 

Before  she  had  been  two  years  on  the  island,  the 
mission  was  indebted  to  her  for  valuable  assistance 
in  unraveling  some  knots  in  the  incomplete  Benga 
grammar.  Though  she  did  not  know  as  many 
words  as  older  missionaries,  she  knew  as  much  of 
the  idioms,  and  could  at  that  time  talk  almost  as 
well  as  any.  Outside  of  the  school  her  interest 
was  drawn  especially  to  the  women,  slaves,  and 
children.  The  common  phrase,  as  they  entered 
the  public  reception-room  of  the  Maluku  house, 
was,  "  Mbi  ma  viyandi  ka  yene  Mama  Lata'  (I  have 
come  to  see  Miss  Latta).  The  mission  force  was 
still  further  reduced,   May  20,   1862,  by  the  de- 


A   ROMANCE.  105 

parture  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Clemens  and  De  Heer  to 
Gaboon,  for  America;  the  former  to  find  an  ocean 
burial  on  the  way.  Some  portions  of  the  Corisco 
work  suffered  by  their  absence.  But  the  girls' 
school  continued  to  flourish ;  no  change  in  Miss 
Latta's  work  or  position  being  made  by  her  change 
of  name  to  Mrs.  Nassau,  on  September  17,  1862, 
as  she  entered  the  third  year  of  her  African  life. 

•  "  There  blend  the  ties  that  strengthen 

Our  hearts  in  hours  of  gnrief, 
The  silver  links  that  lengthen 
Joy's  visits  when  most  brief." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

A   ROMANCE. 

9 

1862.     Corisco. 

"  Responds, — as  if,  with  unseen  wings, 
An  angel  touched  its  quivering  strings  ; 
And  whispers,  in  its  song, 
'  Where  hast  thou  stayed  so  long  ?'  " 

Ancestral  associations,  similar  in  birth,  station, 
culture,  and  family  covenant  blessing :  early  co- 
residence  in  State  and  town  :  paths  of  life  that  had 
often  approached  in  curves  parabolic,  or  crossed 

10 


I06  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

in  lines  eccentric  during  academic  training,  by 
town,  on  streets,  and  at  public  gatherings :  only- 
names  known  while  yet  there  was  no  acquaint- 
ance, until  a  passing  introduction,  by  what  people 
call  chance,  on  the  eve  of  her  sailing  to  Africa  ; 
almost  the  entire  conversation  at  which  could  be 
comprised  in,  "I  shall  see  you  again  in  Africa:" 
hands  that  worked  together  in  mission-house  and 
church  :  feet  that  together  led  the  merry  school- 
girls, and  with  them  romped  the  Esowe  beach,  or 
clambered  Ugoni's  tangled  path,  or  raced  on  Kam- 
ba's  sands,  or  clambered  Upe's  gnarled  trees,  or 
exulted  in  excursion  to  Leva,  or  Alongo,  or  Ugobi, 
or  Elwe :  tastes  consonant :  dispositions  unlike, 
not  contrary,  and  therefore  complementary:  lone- 
liness that  sought  in  all  these  one  of  God's  com- 
pensations for  what  had  been  left  in  dear  homes 
six  thousand  miles  away :  sentiments  that  found 
congenial  soil  in  the  beauty  of  tropic  light  and 
leaf  and  flower :  respect  and  deference  born  of 
characters  tested  by  storm,  wild  adventure,  and 
trying  ordeal :  two  lives  twining  like  tropic  con- 
volvuli  in  a  common  dependence  that  was  unrecog- 
<^  I  nized — unless  to  woman's  finer  intuitions — until 
one  said, — 

"  I  was  not  playing.  But  perhaps  presuming. 
1  had  heard  your  affections  were  engaged  in 
America.  Will  forgiving  the  presumption  imply 
forgetting  the  presumer  ?" 


yl    ROMANCE. 


107 


"  You  were  misinformed.  And  the  forgiveness 
is  as  you  please."  So  the  little  three-cornered 
note  replied, — 

"  Yours, 

"  Mary." 

The  school-girls  did  not  receive  the  announce- 
ment with  satisfaction.  Looking  on  betrothal  from 
their  heathen  stand-point  in  woman's  lot,  it  meant 
to  them  surveillance,  restriction,  and  an  end  to 
personal  liberty.  One  of  them,  with  too  full  a 
knowledge  of  heathen  ways,  looking  upon  it  as  an 
expression  by  their  loved  teacher  of  an  intention  in 
reference  to  another,  and  not  as  a  contract  between 
two,  asked  curiously,  as  if  it  were  an  intrusted 
secret,  "And  does  Dr.  Nassau  know?" 

In  others  jealousy  was  aroused.  Judging  their 
teacher  by  the  measure  of  the  little  love  they 
had  seen  in  their  own  villages,  they  imagined  that 
the  affection  plighted  was  just  so  much  to  be  ab- 
stracted from  themselves. 

Her  native  female  friends  in  the  villages  were 
disposed  to  object.  One  of  them  made  a  formal 
call  at  Maluku,  and  in  a  set  speech  warned  her  of 
the  trials  of  married  life,  asking  her  whether  she 
did  not  know  how  much  accustomed  men  were  to 
beat  their  wives.  The  laugh  that  could  scarcely 
restrain  itself  courteously  till  the  speech  was  done, 
and  then  resounded  through  the  house  as  her  best 
response  to  such  dismal  warnings,  seemed  to  the 


I08  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

prophetess  of  evil  a  strange  fatuity  that  was'  ex- 
pHcable  only  by  a  native's  usual  reference  to  "  iitcm- 
T{gaui's'"  (foreigner's)  incomprehensible  ways. 

But  all  were  soon  satisfied  when  they  found  that 
instead  of  losing  one  friend  they  had  intensified 
another.  And  they  were  not  slow,  in  their  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature,  to  point  requests  for  small 
favors  by  ''o  nymiga  ya  Mtiina  Lata"  (for  the  sake 
of  Miss  Latta),  and  to  add  unnecessary  assurances 
of  their  own  love  for  her. 

During  the  mail's  delay  of  several  months,  until 
the  17th  of  September,  1862,  waiting  for  responses 
of  welcome  from  respective  friends  in  America,  the 
prospective  ceremony  was  made — like  everything 
else  in  the  missionary  life,  even  things  which  in 
civilization  would  be  secluded  in  the  sacredness  of 
x/  home  privacy  —  a  te^t,  in  frequent  conversations 
with  natives,  to  mark  the  dignity  and  honor  that 
Christianity  put  on  marriage  in  contrast  with  the 
entire  absence  of  contract  and  almost  of  ceremony 
in  heathenism. 

To  the  same  end,  on  the  eve  of  the  day,  messen- 
gers were  sent  all  over  the  island  to  the  headmen 
of  the  villages  to  notify  them  of  the  "  white  man's" 
wedding  that  was  to  be  held  in  the  church  on  the 
next  evening. 

A  German  botanist,  Herr  Mann,  a  Christian 
gentleman  who  was  staying  with  the  mission  at  the 
time,  exercised  his  skill  and  taste  in  the  selection 


A    ROMANCE. 


109 


and  arrangement  of  flowers  and 'orange-blossom 
wreaths.  The  Rev.  William  Walker,  of  Gaboon, 
made  the  usual  tedious  journey  to  Corisco  to  per- 
form the  ceremony. 

The  nativ^e  employees  of  the  several  stations 
drew  on  their  monthly  earnings  wherewith  to  in- 
dulge in  new  suits  of  a  shirt  and  five  yards  of 
calico  to  grace  the  feast,  provided  by  Mrs.  Mc- 
Queen, that  was  to  follow. 

Just  after  sunset,  the  low-roofed  bamboo  church 
of  Evangasimba  was  filled  with  several  hundred 
curious  spectators.  Some  of  them  had  seen  the 
ceremony  performed  for  native  Christians  in  pri- 
vate houses,  but  only  once  before  had  they  wit- 
nessed it  in  the  church  and  for  missionaries.  On 
the  dark  forms  of  some,  and  on  the  brilliant- 
colored  cloths  of  others,  the  dim  light  from  a  few 
impromptu  lanterns  made  of  tin  cracker-boxes, 
aided  by  the  rays  of  flaring  candles,  contrasted 
strangely  with  the  civilized  dress  of  the  missionary 
pair,  who,  under  the  shadows  of  the  limes,  and 
cocoas,  and  oranges,  and  guavas  that  arched  the 
front  door,  had  awaited  a  signal  to  advance  to  the 
brighter  light  of  the  pulpit  kerosene-lamp,  where 
Mr.  Mackey  had  meanwhile  been  improving  the 
occasion  by  some  preliminary  religious  services. 

"  It  was  the  time  of  roses." 


no  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


CHAPTER    X. 

A      W  I  F  E,     AND     THE     SCHOOL. 

1863-1864.    Corisco.     The  Sea. 

"  '  Go,  little  boat ;  go,  soft  and  safe, 
And  guard  the  symbol  spark  !' 
Soft,  safe,  doth  float  the  little  boat 
Across  the  waters  dark. 

The  river  floweth  on." 

The  Maluku  house,  though  the  same  that  Mrs. 
Nassau  had  occupied  for  two  years  before  her 
marriage,  was  invested,  as  she  entered  the  third 
year  of  her  African  life,  with  the  new  interest  of 
Home.  It  was  a  story-and-a-half  frame  house, 
thatched  with  palm-leaf  (?;^<?;{;Vr),  forty  feet  square, 
exclusive  of  the  veranda  on  two  of  its  sides.  It 
stood  on  a  crest  of  a  slight  ridge  of  somewhat 
sandy  soil  that  sloped  from  the  rear  of  the  house 
westward  to  the  sea  by  a  path  which  lay  through 
a  portion  of  native  forest.  But  the  elevation  of 
the  house  was  sufficient  to  give  a  view  of  the  sea 
from  the  back  veranda  over  the  tree-tops. 

It  stood  on  iron  posts,  so  as  to  raise  the  first 
floor  some  six  feet  above  the  ground,  kept  damp 


A    WIFE,   AND    THE  SCHOOL.  m 

by  frequent  rains.  In  a  portion  of  the  ground 
space  was  a  low  platform,  where,  on  Monday- 
mornings,  sat  Mrs.  Nassau,  keeping  in  order  her 
noisy  little  subjects,  as  they  dabbled  their  clothes 
in  the  wash-tubs  arranged  along  the  edge  of  the 
platform,  or  on  benches  around. 

The  wide,  overhanging  eaves,  extending  nine 
feet  from  every  side,  afforded  protection  against 
sun  and  dashing  rain. 

On  a  small  porch  at  the  front  door  would  be 
found  sitting  every  morning,  when  the  first  bell 
was  rung  at  6.30,  a  company  of  women  and  chil- 
dren and  a  few  men,  offering  for  sale  cassava 
(manioc,  tapioca  root),  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  eggs, 
chickens,  fish,  and  the  fruits  of  the  different  sea- 
sons. They  were  part  of  the  company  at  morning 
worship,  as  their  marketing  was  not  attended  to 
until  after  worship.  In  the  large  "  Ikenga"  (public 
reception-room),  into  which  the  front  door  opened, 
these  purchases  were  made  in  barter  by  pipes, 
soap,  plates,  basins,  knives,  beads,  cloths,  fish- 
hooks, etc.  These  village  people  had  certain 
seats  assigned  them,  the  school-girls  theirs,  and  a 
special  settee  for  Mrs.  McQueen,  Mrs.  Nassau,  her 
Liberian  ward  Julia,  and  little  Timothy,  who  had 
been  intrusted  in  her  care  by  his  father,  licentiate 
Ibiya.  In  the  dining-room,  which  was  also  sitting- 
room,  Mrs.  Nassau  would  pass  a  large  portion  of 
the   mornings    at   her  sewing-machine    over   the 


112  CROWNED   IX  PALM-LAND. 

clothing  of  the  girls ;  there  they  would  come  to 
get  their  dresses  fitted.  A  constant  phrase,  as 
one  and  other  dropped  in,  was,  "  Sdsd,  mama, 
hcstaka  itumajamc'  (Please  baste  my  sewing).  All 
the  natives  readily  coined  verbs  from  ours  when 
their  language  had  none  to  suit.  Over  the  bureau, 
in  the  corner  in  which  the  school  sewing  was 
kept,  was  a  looking-glass  ;  and  many  unnecessary 
visits  were  made  to  the  room  with  questions,  the 
time  occupied  in  receiving  an  answer  to  which  was 
filled  by  a  dressing  of  their  crispy  locks  in  front  of 
the  mirror.  At  her  feet  were  always  some  who 
preferred,  instead  of  the  play  in  the  yard,  to  chat 
with  her  a's  she  sewed. 

In  the  study  were  quite  an  array  of  shelves  and 
bottles  of  medicines,  where  those  whom  she  re- 
ported as  on  the  sick  list  came,  as  to  a  dispensary, 
awaiting  their  turn  as  they  sat  on  a  low  lounge 
covered  by  a  brilliant-figured  chintz,  sent  to  Africa 
as  a  relic  of  her  girlhood.  The  wooden  walls  of  the 
bedroom  were  attempted  to  be  enlivened  with  a 
wall-paper  of  "Hobson's  choice,"  its  principal  fea- 
ture being  a  blue  vine  with  blue  leaves  and  blue 
grapes.  A  small  room,  partitioned  from  the  side 
veranda,  opened  into  it,  and  was  of  great  service; 
for  when  Mrs.  Nassau  was  too  weak,  or  the  weather 
too  stormy,  to  take  the  girls  to  their  sewing  out  in 
the  school-room,  she  could  lie  in  her  own  room  and 
give  all    necessary  directions  to  the  busy  fingers 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  113 

almost  within  reach  in  the  little  room.  There  the 
evening  hymn  was  taught  before  the  girls  retired. 
A  door  communicated  from  the  room  to  the  up- 
stairs, where  they  slept,  so  that  any  little  one  could 
readily  be  reached  at  night,  if  necessary.  In  the 
rooms  up-stairs  were  mats  made  of  the  leaves  of 
the  pandanus  (screw-pine)  for  eighteen  children. 
Natives  did  not  use  beds ;  even  in  their  own  houses 
did  not  have  bedsteads,  only  a  low  frame  to  raise 
the  sleeper  above  the  clay  floor.  This  frame  was  not 
necessary  on  our  dry,  b/oa^  floors.  For  covering, 
the  children  had  a  sheet  of  cotton  cloth,  and,  in 
the  cool-dry*  season,  a  quilt.  Under  a  single  quilt 
were  put  two  children  of  such  a  size  and  disposi- 
tion as  that  the  feet  of  one  should  not  tyrannize 
over  the  other  for  the  occupancy  of  the  whole. 
Age  was  often  a  subject  of  quarrel.  "  Mbi  net 
iitodu  zva!''  (I  am  the  elder)  was  offered  as  sufficient 
answer  when  any  one  had  to  be  called  to  account 
for  unkind  imposition.    When  the  disparity  of  age 

*  The  seasons  at  the  Equator,  on  the  African  West  Coast,  are 
four, — two  rainy,  covering  seven  months ;  and  two  dry,  occupying 
the  other  five.  They  correspond,  in  time  only  (not  at  all  in  char- 
acter)j  with  the  four  seasons  of  the  temperate  zones :  viz.,  the 
"  early"  rains  corresponding  to  autumn;  a  sliort,  hot,  middle-dry, 
during  our  midwinter;  the  "  latter"  rains  corresponding  to  spring  ; 
and  the  cool-dry  comprising  our  summer. 

The  alternating  land  and  sea  breezes,  blowing  for  twenty  out  of 
eveiy  twenty-four  hours,  moderate  the  heat,  the  mercury  marking, 
in  the  shade,  not  above  90°  Fahr.,but  never  as  low  as  65°. 


114 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


was  great,  advantage  would  be  taken  of  it,  and 
every  older  girl  was  put  in  charge  of  some  younger 
one,  of  whom  she  was  expected  to  take  care. 
Being  thus  dignified  with  the  position  of  monitors, 
they  did  take  care  of  them  ;  in  consideration  of 
which  the  younger  carried  water  from  the  spring, 
and  did  other  errands  for  them.  This  considera- 
tion was  none  of  Mrs.  Nassau's  arrangement;  but 
it  was  allowed  as  a  universal  custom  of  the  people. 
In  that  dormitory  would  terminate  the  last  of  Mrs. 
Nassau's  daily  labors  ;  after  their  sewing  half  of 
the  day,  their  oversight  out  of  school-hours,  their 
verses  in  the  evening,  she  put  them  to  bed  at 
night.  Silence  then  was  the  law  when  she  re- 
moved the  light.  It  was  the  only  time  of  day 
peculiarly  her  own,  or  when  letters  could  be  written 
undisturbed.  That  silence  being  broken,  a  moni- 
tory rap  of  her  knuckles  against  the  door  at  the 
foot  of  the  stairs  preceded  the  calling  down  of  the 
delinquent  who  failed  to  regard  it.  Delinquents 
during  the  day  were  sent  to  a  quiet  retreat  in  a 
little  room  up-stairs  (called  "  tjogo,"  prison,  but 
which  was  prison-like  only  in  its  isolation),  which 
was  occupied  at  night  by  those  of  her  pupils  who 
by  age  or  good  conduct  were  called  "big  girls." 
There  they  kept  their  chests,  purchased  by  their 
own  needles,  in  which  they  treasured  the  few  gar- 
ments or  pieces  of  crockery  they  were  amassing 
for  their  prospective  marriage.     These  were  per- 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  115 

mitted  to  sit  up  an  hour  later  than  others,  without 
surveillance,  reading,  or  sewing,  or  looking  at  pic- 
tures in  the  '^  Ikcngay 

Down  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  at  the  foot  of  the 
slope,  near  the  forest,  Mrs.  Nassau  recreated  her- 
self in  a  little  garden,  where  were  planted  Ameri- 
can seeds, — enormous  cucumbers,  ordinary-sized 
radishes,  excellent  corn,  small  watermelons ;  and 
of  native  produce,  ginger,  chillies  (Cayenne  pepper), 
and  eschalots  (a  kind  of  onion).  In  the  cool  of 
the  afternoon  it  was  her  amusement  to  hoe,  weed, 
or  plant  cabbage,  cauliflower,  asparagus,  or  other 
such  seeds  as  always  persisted  in  not  growing. 
Yet  the  invitation,  "  0  'ka  o  nnvaiiga'  (Come  to 
the  garden),  was  responded  to,  though  the  seed- 
planting  were  fruitless  of  other  benefit  than  the 
exercise. 

In  the  rear  of  the  Maluku  premises  were 
gathered,  at  Mrs.  Nassau's  wish,  from  the  premi- 
ses of  our  own  or  other  missions,  more  than  two 
dozen  kinds  of  tropical  fruit-trees,  indigenous  or 
imported  from  the  exotic  gardens  of  the  French 
at  Gaboon,  and  of  the  Spanish  at  Fernando  Po. 
These  included  the  oil-palm,  cocoa-nut,  grenadilla 
(a  fruit-bearing  passion-vine),  plantain,  banana,  pine- 
apple, tamarind,  orange,  lime,  lemon,  rose-apple, 
papaya  ("pawpaw,"  not  the  American  fruit  of  that 
name),  sour-sop,  mango,  Avagado  pear  (vulgarly 
called  "  alligator"  pear),  cacao  (chocolate),  bread- 


Il6  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

fruit,  elola,  guava.  The  bread-fruit  was  her  especial 
pride,  for  hers  was  the  first  one  on  the  island 
(introduced  in  October,  i86i)  that  succeeded  in 
growing.  She  rejoiced  in  literally  standing  under 
the  shade  of  her  own  "  vine  and  fig-tree."  The 
leaves  of  the  bread-fruit  are  fig-leaf-shaped,  three 
feet  long,  with  deep  digitations  in  a  width  of  twelve 
or  fifteen  inches.  The  vine  was  an  acquisition  from 
the  French  Plateau  garden. 

The  branches  of  the  few  trees  in  that  portion  of 
the  rear  yard  occupied  as  the  girls'  play-ground 
were  made  rather  ragged  by  their  frequent  climb- 
ing. The  destruction  to  dresses,  and  the  danger  to 
legs  and  arms,  were  represented  to  Mrs.  Nassau; 
but  she  had  not  forgotten  that  once  she  had  liked 
to  climb  trees,  and,  being  willing  to  help  mend  the 
dresses,  she  accepted  the  risk  to  the  legs.  The 
children  enjoyed  the  fun,  and  they  always  landed 
on  their  feet.  There  were  so  many  things  inde- 
corous in  heathen  games  and  plays  that  had  to  be 
forbidden,  that  the  largest  liberty  was  given  when- 
ever their  own  amusements  could  be  allowed. 

In  the  girls'  nnvidi  ("  compound,"  premises)  was 
located  their  kitchen.  The  four  or  five  largest 
girls  were  admitted  (missionary  point  of  view)  to 
the  dignity  of  cooking  for  the  rest.  Whether  the 
labor  required  was  compensated  by  the  honor  was 
sometimes  doubted  in  those  girls'  view.  Each  one 
had  the  duty  for  a  week,  and  was  assisted  by  a 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  ny 

younger,  chosen  by  herself.  The  little  fag  really 
did  the  work,  but  the  elder  had  all  the  responsi- 
bility. That  responsibility  lay  in  the  wearing  of 
the  key  of  the  cupboard  that  contained  the  daily 
supply  of  fish,  plantains,  bananas,  salt,  inevdndd, 
and  ngwcsc  (two  forms  of  preparing  the  (manioc) 
cassava.)  Those  two  girls  were  each  week  excused 
from  their  sewing  and  from  school  earlier  than  the 
usual  hour,  in  order  to  attend  to  their  cooking. 

The  path  in  the  rear  of  the  house  wound  past  a 
garden  of  eddoes  (tania,  koko,  an  Arum  esculenttim), 
cassava,  plantains,  and  sweet  potatoes  (a  white 
variety),  down  to  a  little  cove  by  the  sea,  where 
Mrs.  Nassau  and  Mrs.  McQueen  sometimes  went 
in  their  bathing-dresses,  and  where  the  girls  were 
taken  to  wash  regularly  every  Saturday,  and  some- 
times on  other  days. 

Joy  at  the  arrival  of  the  mail  on  the  ist  of  Janu- 
ary, 1863,  as  the  little  company  of  Corisco  mission- 
aries were  enjoying  New  Year's  quiet  celebration  at 
Alongo,  was  shadowed  by  Mrs.  Nassau's  receiving 
news  of  the  death  of  her  brother  in  a  Washington 
hospital,  from  disease  contracted  in  Virginia  swamps 
just  after  his  promotion  to  a  captaincy.  She  bore  the 
affliction  with  her  usual  calmness  when  under  trial. 
With  characteristic  thoughtfulness  of  others,  when 
she  discovered  the  contents  of  her  letter,  she  made 
no  demonstration  by  which  the  good  news  of  others 
should  be  marred ;  but  quietly  rising  left  the  com- 

II 


1 1 8  CRO  WNED   IN  PA  LM-LA  ND. 

pany,  making  only  a  sign  for  her  husband  to  follow 
to  another  room. 

Mrs.  Nassau  was  constantly  adding  to  her 
knowledge  of  the  native  language,  and  using  that 
knowledge  in  the  translation  of  hymns.  Some 
that  reached  America  too  late  for  the  edition  of 
1864,  are  now  issued  in  the  edition  of  1873.  One 
of  these,  the  translation  of"  Christian,  see  the  Orient 
Morning,"  was  written  about  this  time  while  sick 
in  bed,  detained  from  church  on  a  Sabbath  morn- 
ing. It  was  correct  as  she  wrote  it,  no  alterations 
being  made  by  the  native  interpreter,  to  whose 
criticism  it  was  subjected.  That  copy  was  lost. 
She  re-wrote  it,  but  less  perfectly.  The  original 
copy  was  years  afterward  found,  and  the  issue  of 
1873  was  a  combination  of  the  two. 

Mrs.  Nassau's  first  mainland  experience  was  in 
a  boat  journey  with  the  two  members  of  the  Main- 
land Visiting  Committee,  in  March  6-10,  1863. 
At  that  early  day,  though  deeply  interested  in  her 
Corisco  pupils,  she  often  wished  for  removal  to  the 
mainland.  The  journey  was  to  Hanje,  forty  miles 
north,  in  the  limits  of  the  Kombe  tribe.  The 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  for  the  first  time 
there.  A  woman  was  baptized,  and  on  the  return 
two  native  Scripture  readers  were  located  at  Aje, 
eight  miles  south  of  Ilanje,  in  the  Bapuku  tribe. 

Mrs.  Nassau  was  the  first  white  female  mis- 
sionary who  had  been  seen  among  the  tribes  north 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL. 


119 


of  Corisco,  and  probably  the  first  white  woman. 
(The  few  captains'  wives  who  accompanied  their 
husbands  on  that  coast  never  went  ashore.)  She 
was  a  great  curiosity  to  the  people,  and  especially 
to  the  women,  who  were  permitted  to  handle  her 
feet  and  hands,  and  unroll  her  hair  as  she  sat  on  a 
broken  canoe  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  near  the 
beach. 

In  spite  of  a  most  drenching  rain,  on  ap- 
proaching Corisco  on  the  return,  she  was  so  de- 
lighted with  the  view  "of  the  wide  work  on  the 
mainland,  that  the  longing  for  it  was  not  satisfied 
until  we  were  permitted  to  go  there  two  and  a 
half  years  later. 

MRS.    NASSAU   TO    HER    SISTER-IN-LAW,  MISS     M.    H. 

NASSAU. 

Thursday  night,  May  14,  1863 

.  .  .  Our  mail  is  brought  by  a  French  steamer 
from  Fernando  Po  to  the  Gaboon ;  but  the  com- 
modore, being  somewhere  up  the  coast,  must 
have  his  missives  first,  while  missionaries,  officers, 
traders,  and  common  folks  in  general  must  wait. 

Well!  ours  came  on  the  iith.  As  we  were 
sitting  in  the  evening  in  our  little  parlor,  listening 
to  Hamill  reading  aloud  "  Hypatia,"  we  were 
interrupted  by  the  welcome  letters. 

What  did  they  contain  ?  Pleasant  words  of  love 
and  remembrance, — interesting  comments  on  what 


I20  CROWNED   hV  PALM-LAND. 

had  been  thought  and  said  and  done  in  the  last 
month  ;  and  some  very  good  news,  but  not  quite 
enough  of  it.  .  .  .  You  can  understand  how  anx- 
iously wc  look  for  the  mail  sometimes  when  only 
half  satisfied  by  a  former*  one. 

You  see  I  am  writing  nothing,  but  it  is  because 
I  am  not  in  a  writing  mood, — got  tired  of  it  this 
morning. 

Many  thanks  for  the  school  dresses  that  we  have 
had,  and  for  others  perhaps  on  the  way.  They 
will  be  very  acceptable ;  but  we  are  getting  on 
quite  comfortably. 

We  are  all  seated  at  the  round  dining-room 
table  getting  ready  for  the  mail. 

Good-night.  Much  love  to  my  new  and  dear 
relatives.  I  love  to  read  and  hear  the  kind  mes- 
sages you  all  send  to  me,  whom  you  have  never 
seen,  in  this  far-off  land. 

In  furtherance  of  the  project  of  a  mainland  sta- 
tion, permission  for  which  had  already  been  asked 
of  the  Board,  the  Mainland  Visiting  Committee, 
in  a  journey  of  superintendence  of  the  out-stations 
in  July  9-17,  1863,  made  a  voyage  to  the  Bonita 
River,  fifty-four  miles  northward,  and  entered  it 
some  eighteen  miles.  A  naval  surveying  party 
had  entered  its  mouth  ;  white  traders  had  often 
visited  it,  and  one  had  gone  up  about  fourteen 
miles;   Rev.  Wm.  Clemens   had  gone  beyond,  to 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  121 

certain  rapids  at  SenjS;  but  the  committee  went 
farther,  to  a  fall  ("  ivova''')  called  Yovi,  remarkable 
not  for  its  height,  but  for  the  body  of  water  com- 
ing over,  and  for  the  terrible  power  of  a  whirlpool 
in  its  basin. 

When  I  returned  that  Friday,  17th  of  July,  from 
that  journey,  Mrs.  Nassau  met  me  with  a  question, 
whose  shadow  we  had  dreaded,  and  therefore  had 
resolutely  put  away.  Now  it  had  to  be  faced  and 
answered  in  a  single  hour.  Should  she  go  to 
America?  She  had  previously  shut  her  eyes  to 
growing  weakness,  and  refused  advice  not  to 
attempt  a  fourth  year  on  that  West  Coast.  But 
a  combination  of  indications  made  all  the  little 
missionary  company  at  both  Corisco  and  Gaboon 
say,  "  She  ought  to  go."     - 

A  boat  had  been  awaiting  Mr.  Mackey  and  my- 
self with  important  letters  from  Rev.  W.  Walker, 
of  Gaboon.^  He  had  found  an  English  bark,  the 
"  Moultan,"  of  the  firm  John  Laughland  &  Co., 
Glasgow,  about  to  sail  from  Gaboon  on  the  23d, 
and  had  sent  us  word ;  Rev.  W.  H.  Clark  had  de- 
cided to  take  this  opportunity  to  return  on  furlough 
to  America  ;  there  was  some  doubt  about  the  fit- 
ness of  such  a  vessel  for  an  invalid  lady.  A  steamer 
could  have  been  selected,  but  our  mission,  under 
the  war-straitened  treasury  in  America,  was  taught 
the  closest  economy.  Mr.  Clark's  company  sup- 
plied escort :   I  had  no  reason  in  ill  health  to  leave 


122  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

my  work.  Every  point  had  been  discussed  during 
the  two  days  while  my  return  was  awaited.  Mrs. 
Nassau  was  to  go.  The  impromptu  lines  she 
handed  me,  dated  "  Tuesday  night,  July  14,  1863," 
had  conveyed  her  assent.  They  may  have  been 
suggested  by  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Judson's  "  We  part  on 
this  Green  Islet,  Love ;"  and  are  the  only  verses  I 
am  aware  of  her  having  written  in  Africa  : 

"  We  part,  my  husband,  yes,  we  part 
'Mid  hopes,  and  fears,  and  pain ; 
'  But  we  shall  still  be  joined  in  heart 
And  hope  to  meet  again.' 

"  We  I'art,  my  husband,  yes,  we  part ; 
And  I  go  forth  alone, 
With  timid,  restless,  yearning  heart. 
From  my  liclovetl  one. 

"  We  pail,  my  husljand,  yes,  we  part ; 
And  you  on  Manji's  isle. 
With  lonely  and  with  saddened  heart, 
Will  miss  one  lovin<r  smile. 


'  We  part,  my  husband,  yes,  we  part ; 

But  God,  ojir  God,  is  Love  ; 
And  we  must  rest  upon  His  heart, 
And  look  for  light  above. 

'  We  part,  my  husband,  yes,  we  part ; 
But  well  the  chain  is  riven. 
And  we  shall  still  be  joined  in  heart 
On  earth,  and  one  in  heaven." 


*      A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  123 

God  gave  a  strange  ability  to  endure. 

The  time  to  prepare  was  short, — Friday,  Satur- 
day, Monday.  Mrs.  Nassau  rose  from  her  bed 
and  helped  in  directing,  or  in  using,  the  sewing- 
machine.  The  journey  was  not  as  in  this  country. 
The  simple  style  of  dress  worn  in  the  mission  home 
would  be  outre  in  England,  and  some  preparation 
must  be  made  for  it,  and  for  the  change  of  climate. 
She  was  relieved  entirely  of  the  care  of  the  chil- 
dren by  the  smaller  ones  being  sent  to  school  both 
morning  and  afternoon ;  and  the  larger  ones  as- 
sisted Mrs.  McQueen  both  day  and  night  with  their 
needles ;  in  which  work  some  former  pupils  were 
hired  to  assist. 

Oatmeal,  fresh  vegetables,  and  native  bclola  wine 
were  gathered  to  add  to  the  ship's  stores  ;  cocoa, 
and  a  few  delicacies  for  invalid  taste  were  obtained 
by  our  kind  Gaboon  friends.  Rev.  I.  M.  and  Mrs. 
Preston,  from  the  French  Plateau  store ;  a  barrel  of 
sweet  potatoes  and  a  hundred  oranges  from  Mrs. 
Walker;  prepared  rusk^and  one  of  our  own  goats, 
"  Epepa,"  to  giv^e  milk  at  least  part  of  the  way ; 
dried  raspberries  and  cakes  from  Mrs.  Mackey ; 
and  a  six-gallon  jug  of  fresh  water  from  the  Baraka 
spring. 

On  Tuesday,  July  21,  at  10  a.m.,  Mrs.  Nassau 
left  Corisco  in  the  mission  sail-boat  "  Manji,"  with 
the  baggage,  and  manned  by  six  skillful  Benga 
oarsmen  ;  stopped  at  Cape  Estinas,  twenty  miles 


124 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


distant,  at  midnight ;  slept  for  a  few  hours  ashore ; 
off  again  at  7  a.m.  of  the  22d,  and  reached  Baraka 
at  sunset.  Mr.  Clark  followed  in  the  "  Draper,"  a 
smaller  boat,  and  arrived,  wet  and  exhausted,  four 
hours  later. 

A  delay  of  the  "  Moultan"  two  days  in  com- 
pleting her  cargo,  gave  a  desirable  rest  from  the 
fatigue  of  the  boat  journey. 

The  ship  was  not  intended  for  many  passengers, 
and  they  were  to  provide  their  own  bedding.  The 
only  two  extra  state-rooms  were  still  in  confusion 
when  we  went  on  board,  at  7  a.m.  of  Friday,  the 
24th.  As  sails  and  other  things  were  being  taken 
out  of  the  room  that  was  assigned  Mrs.  Nassau,  a 
batch  of  bread,  dark  as  ginger-cake,  ready  for 
baking,  was  observed  in  the  washbasin!  It  did 
not   aygur  well   for  the   prospects  of  the  journey. 

Captain  G promised  fair.     But,  the  privations 

of  that  voyage  !  His  heartlessness  became,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  nine-weeks'  voyage,  cruelty. 

As  I  returned  ashore,  the  sails  were  flung  to  the 
morning  land-wind  of  the  cool-dry  season.  And 
as  shortly  after  my  "  Manji"  went  out  the  Gaboon's 
broad  mouth,  on  the  north  bank,  toward  Corisco, 
the  "Moultan"  stood  out  to  sea  on  the  south 
bank. 

By  the  departure  of  Mrs.  Nassau  and  Mr.  Clark, 
our  mission  white  force  was  reduced  to  four, — 
Rev.  J.  L.  and  Mrs.  Mackey,  and  Mrs.  McQueen 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  125 

and  myself.  We  two  continued  the  girls'  school, 
using  native  aid  in  the  teaching. 

As  if  with  a  prophecy  of  the  future,  a  "  cry  for 
help,"  that  became  more  terribly  true  seven  years 
later,  was  sent  to  America  by  one  of  those  lonely 
pickets  at  the  front :  "  Won't  somebody  stir  up  the 
Church?  It  is  not  the  Board's  fault.  We  are 
zveak  and  '  tveary  and  faint!  The  words  of  Mrs. 
E.  C.  jfud^n,  *  I  have  come  from  a  land  where  a 
beautiful  light,'  etc.,  are  becoming  true  for  us.  This 
is  no  economy  of  money  or  life.  While  we  toil  with 
zuork  that  cannot  be  made  less,  zvc  fall  before  assist- 
ance comes ;  and  then  the  assistant,  taking  up  the 
burden,  himself  iinassisted,  falls  in  his  turn.  Two 
are  better  tJian  one.  Our  native  helpers  are  good, 
but  themselves  are  a  care.  Why  don't  the  reapers 
come  to  the  vineyard?" 

On  August  I  arrived  at  Corisco  letters  that  had 
come  from  the  "  Moultan"  by  the  pilot-boat  that 
accompanied  it  down  the  Gaboon. 

MRS.  NASS.A.U    TO    HER    HUSBAND. 

Bark  "  Moultan,"  Gaboon  River, 
Friday,  July  24,  1863. 

.  .  .  Oh,  these  partings!  oh, these  partings!  .  .  . 
But  you  are  aw^ay ;  and  soon  I  will  go ;  and  then 
the  long  months  will  come,  and  we  will  pray  for 
each  other. 

While  you  were  up  the  coast  there  was  a  verse 


126  CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 

that  was  such  a  comfort  to  me  :  "  To  him  that  ovcr- 
comcth  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  mc  in  my  tlirone," 
etc.  Well,  when  I  felt  fretful,  or  impatient,  or  sick, 
and  when  I  wanted  you  back  so  badly,  I  would 
remember  that  "  to  him  that  overcometh"  was  the 
promise  made.  Then  I  would  ask  myself,  over- 
cometh what  ?  Why,  whatever  might  be  trying 
just  at  the  moment,  whether  small  or  large.  And 
so  I  tried  to  "overcome;"  and  I  think  those  long 
days  you  were  away  from  me  perhaps  were  for 
my  own  good.  ...  I  do  not  believe  I  shall  suffer 
much  on  the  voyage;  every  one  seems  very  kind  ; 
the  captain  brought  me  a  soft  pillow,  and  the  stew- 
ard got  a  coat  to  throw  over  me,  and  both  say  I 
must  let  them  know  if  there  is  anything  they  can  do. 

The  captain  and  Mr.  Clark  are  having  a  slight 
religious  talk,  but  I  do  not  understand  the  drift  of 
it.     Now  it's  done. 

I  don't  know  how  that  ginger-cake  is  getting 
along  in  my  room  ;  but  I  told  Mr.  Clark  there  was 
a  batch  there. 

I  am  sitting  up  on  the  seat  on  which  you  left  me 
lying,  and  writing  on  the  broad  window-ledge. 

Of  the  discomforts  of  the  voyage,  from  the  loss 
of  the  goat  on  the  fourth  day,  to  the  actual  ration- 
ing of  food,  the  diet  on  fare  that  might  suffice  for 
able-bodied  men,  but  not  for  delicate  invalids,  and 
the  self-denial  that  would  choose  the  social  priva- 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  127 

tions  of  second-  and  third-rate  accommodations  to 
save  the  church's  treasury,  only  a  portion  was 
recited  in  her  letters,  and  then  only  as  a  matter  of 
history,  not  as  complaint. 

The  captain's  fair  exterior  changed  to  positive 
rudeness.  He  monopolized  the  only  cabin  there 
was  besides  the  small  saloon,  occupying  it  as  his 
bedroom,  so  that  others  could  not  use  it  when  he 
was  drunk  or  napping.  The  first  evening  of  the 
voyage  he  spoke  very  piously,  and  assented  to  Mr. 
Clark's  wish  for  morning  and  evening  prayers  and 
Sabbath  preaching.  But  the  crew  detested  his 
hypocrisy,  and  never  came,  and  by  the  end  of  the 
fifth  week  the  religious  services  had  been  so  often 
postponed  and  interrupted  by  his  various  excuses 
and  obstacles,  that  they  were  broken  up  entirely, 
and  the  announcement  made  that  "the  Koran  was 
as  good  as  the  Bible,  and  a  Hindoo  as  safe  as  a 
Christian."  The  two  mates,  Messrs.  Kerr  and 
Monroe,  were  invariably  attentive  and  polite. 

MRS.  Nassau's  sea-journal  to  her  husband. 

Bark  "  Moultan,"  Friday,  July  31,  1863. 

...  I  have  not  been  able  to  sit  up  since  leaving 
Baraka.  I  tried  it  yesterday  for  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes, but  the  motion  of  the  vessel  was  too  much. 
Our  fare  is  good,  I  suppose,  for  ship;  but  if  I 
had  not  some  extras  with  me,  it  would  go  pretty 
hard.  .  .  . 


128  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

August  I. — Three  years  ago  to-day  I  sailed  for 
Africa,  and  three  years  ago  I  saw  my  brother  for 
the  last  time.  He  was  the  last,  my  darling  brother  ! 
A  day  or  two  ago  must  have  been  the  third  anni- 
versary of  our  meeting.  May  God  grant  that  our 
next  meeting  be  not  far  off!  Father,  mother,  and 
brothers  are  gone,  but  my  husband  is  more  to  me 
than  all ;  more  than  any  earthly  friend  has  ever 
been.  .  .  .  This  morning  before  I  was  up  the 
waves  came  into  my  berth.  The  steward  had 
closed  the  window  the  evening  before,  but  Mr. 
Clark  opened  it  for  me  at  bed-time.  I  called  for 
the  steward,  who  screwed  up  the  window,  and 
scolded  at  the  same  time  about  its  having  been 
opened.  I  sat  in  my  wet  night-dress  in  the  soak- 
ing berth,  and  took  it  all  very  meekly.  Fortu- 
nately, my  day  clothing  was  so  disposed  of  that 
none  of  it  got  wet.  The  bedding  has  been  out 
drying  to-day,  but  the  mattress  is  not  dry  yet.  I 
don't  know  what  I  am  to  sleep  on  to-night.  .  .  . 

August  3.  Monday. — Yesterday  was  the  Sab- 
bath,— a  pretty  comfortable  day.  .  .  .  To-night  I 
had  for  supper  cocoa  and  a  roasted  sweet  potato, 
— my  best  meal  to-day.  I  ate  but  a  little  pea-soup 
for  dinner.     I  feel  pretty  well  this  evening.  .  .  . 

Wednesday,  August  5. — "There  is  a  good  time 
coming."  The  steward  got  out  some  hops, — hops 
imply  yeast,  yeast  implies  bread  or  biscuit.  We 
have  had  nothing  but  pilot-bread  as  yet,  of  which 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  129 

I  have  eaten  a  little.  We  shall  have  pudding  to- 
morrow, too.  I  don't  know  what  kind ;  but  all 
our  desserts  heretofore  have  been  some  kind  of 
fruit, — very  nice.  I  hope  it  will  be  fruit-pudding; 
we  had  a  good  one  on  Sunday.  Dessert  only 
comes  three  or  four  times  a  week.  'Thursdays  and 
Sundays  we  have  chickens,  always  boiled, — and  I 
can't  eat  them.  One  morning  we  had  stewed 
kidney,  canned,  and  that  I  was  able  to  eat.  Salt 
beef,  pork,  and  pilot-bread  is  the  regular  supper. 
But  the  best  thing  I  have  had  was  a  piece  of 
Epepa's  liver,  fried.  She  choked  herself  on  a 
banana  the  first  week  out,  and  we  had  her  liver 
fried  for  supper.  You  will  say  I  think  too  much 
of  my  eating ;  but  I  can't  help  it  here,  where  it  is 
so  hard  to  get  what  I  can  eat.  Yet  it  is  a  nice 
vessel,  and  ever3'thing  on  board  well  ordered.  The 
cooking  is  all  of  the  cleanest,  and  there  is  a  won- 
derful amount  of  scrubbing  done  all  around.  The 
steward  is  very  kind,  and  gets  everything  I  ask 
him, — which  is  not  much.  .  .  . 

Tuesday  night,  August  ii. —  ...  I  asked  the 
cook  to-night  what  his  wife  did  without  him.  "Ah  ! 
she  breaks  her  heart  all  the  time,"  was  his  reply. 
The  captain  has  had  a  short  attack  of  fever,  and 
we  were  debarred  the  privilege  of  his  cabin  several 
days.  He  is  about  as  usual  now,  and  the  cabin  is 
thrown  open  to  us.  That  pudding  last  Thursday 
was    veritable  plutn-^ixddmg,  full    of   currants, — 

12 


I30 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


light  and  good.  Yesterday  I  commenced  "  Life 
and  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,"  but  the  book  is  so  large 
that  I  "Cannot  hold  it  long  without  wearying.  It  is 
hard  on  the  eyes,  too,  in  a  reclinijig  posture.  I 
am  very  much  interested,  and  feel  so  sorry  that  I 
should  have  forgotten  so  much  that  it  seems  like 
a  new  book.  There  are  many  hours  of  every  day 
in  which  I  can  only  lie  still  and  sleep  or  think.  I 
try  not  to  set  my  heart  on  any  of  my  plans,  but  if 
God  spares  my  life  and  yours,  you  know  I  will  try 
very  hard  to  come  back  to  you  in  a  year.  .  .  . 

Fiiday  night,  August  14. — Just  three  weeks  to- 
day since  we  sailed.  This  morning  I  felt  worse  than 
I  have  at  all  before,  perhaps  because  we  were  nearly 
becalmed,  and  directly  under  the  sun.  ...  I  have 
been  at  the  table  to-day,  the  first  time  since  I  have 
been  on  board.  It  was  quite  an  effort  to  make  up 
my  mind  to  sit  up  and  eat,  but  I  got  along  very 
well.  We  had  bread  two  days  ago  for  the  first,  and 
have  had  it  fresh  both  days  since.  The  steward 
bakes  it  generally  in  the  shape  of  biscuit,  and  they 
are  pretty  good.  .  .  .  We  were  in  sight  of  the  Cape 
de  Verdes  to-day  ;  and,  after  some  forty-eight  hours 
of  uncertain  winds  and  weather,  we  have  caught  the 
northeast  trades.  .  .  .  We  spoke  a  vessel  yesterday 
from  Buenos  Ayres,  and  one  to-day  from  Macao. 
No  news  from  them,  of  course.  .  .  . 

Saturday  fughi,  August  15. —  .  .  .  Will  you 
please  give  Andeke,  with  my  kind  regards,  a  copy  of 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  131 

Spurgeon's  Sermons  that  is  in  the  parlor?  Read 
first  a  sermon  entitled  "  Comfort  for  Feeble  Saints," 
and  another  on  the  text,  "  And  the  arms  of  his-hands 
were  made  strong  by  the  hands  of  the  mighty 
God  of  Jacob."  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  read  either, 
but  I  remember  liking  both  very  much.  .  .  . 

Tticsday  nigJit,  August  18. —  .  .  .  We  are  having 
a  good  wind,  and  the  captain  said  at  supper-table 
this  evening  that  two  weeks  of  such  sailing  would 
bring  us  to  anchor.  I  shall  be  glad  if  we  are  so 
highly  favored,  for  though  I  am  in  no  special  hurry 
to  reach  America,  yet  I  am  not  likely  to  gain  any 
strength  while  at  sea.  I  am  getting  very  thin. 
Yesterday  morning  my  back  and  limbs  ached  so 
much  more  than  usual,  and  were  so  sore,  that  I 
got  some  brandy  from  Mr.  Clark  to  rub  them.  It 
was  rather  inconvenient  to  lie  in  such  a  narrow 
berth  and  rub  my  own  back;  but  I  felt  easier  after- 
wards. Lying  down  so  much  on  not  the  softest 
places  does  not  help  one's  bones.  ...  I  do  not 
look  forward  half  so  much  to  my  arrival  in  Amer- 
ica as  I  do  to  the  prospect  of  leaving  it  a  year 
later.  ,  .  .  You  must  write  all  that  is  done  in  re- 
gard to  the  establishment  of  Scripture- readers  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Bonita.  I  suppose  I  can  hear  at 
the  Mission  House  what  they  wrote  about  your 
being  sent  there ;  but  I  want  to  know  what  the 
mission  letter  said,  and  what  you  and  Mr.  Mackey 
thoug-ht  of  it.  .  .  . 


132  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Tuesday,  August  25. — Upon  inquiring  the  day  of 
the  month,  Mr.  Monroe  insisted  upon  it  that  it  was 
the  26th ;  and  Mr.  Clark  could  not  tell  the  day  of 
the  week,  though  I  was  sure  it  was  Tuesday. 
After  my  date  was  written,  our  young  mate  found 
he  had  made  a  mistake.  Mr.  Kerr,  the  first  mate, 
is  very  kind  and  pleasant,  all  that  I  see  of  him  ; 
and  he  and  Mr.  Clark  have  some  long  talks  on 
deck.  The  captain  we  do  not  either  of  us  like, 
though  he  lets  us  alone.  He  is  ungentlemanly. 
.  .  .  How  much  I  want  to  hear  you  sing!  I  did 
not  think  I  should  miss  your  voice  in  that  way  so 
much  as  I  have  done.  But  I  miss  you  most  when 
the  time  comes  for  my  last  prayer  at  night.  It  is 
a  precious  privilege  to  pray  for  each  other,  but 
still  more  precious  to  pray  ivith  each  other.  .  .  . 
Sometimes  it  seems  to  me  as  though  the  prayer 
would  be  answered,  for  I  feel  such  a  sweet  peace 
after  asking  it  of  God. 

Last  night  the  rain  came  in,  and  would  have  wet 
me  pretty  well  in  my  berth  if  my  white  spread  had 
not  been  pretty  thick.  I  drew  the  spread  double 
over  my  shoulders  where  the  water  fell,  and  when 
it  got  about  soaked  I  pulled  up  a  dry  part.  The 
shower  did  not  last  long,  but  it  made  me  uncom- 
fortable, although  I  did  not  get  wet.  When  I  said 
at  the  breakfast-table  the  rain  had  come  in,  the 
captain  replied  that  the  seams  of  the  vessel  would 
:,oon  swell ;  and  that  was  all  the  consolation  I  got 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  133 

from  headquarters.  However,  I  know  we  are  far 
better  off  than  many  passengers  have  been  in 
American  vessels. 

Of  course,  our  fare  is  not  equal  to  that  of  the 
"  Ocean  Eagle."  When  Captain  Yates  gets  to 
Corisco  tell  him  I  often  sighed  to  be  in  one  of  his 
vessels.  I  hope  you  may  never  have  to  go  home 
by  way  of  England,  especially  before  the  war  is 
done.  I  never  felt  hardly  before  against  the 
English ;  but  it  does  seem  strange  how  any 
persons  can  be  so  stupid.  I  hope  the  first  news 
we  shall  hear  will  be  that  the  "Alabama"  has  been 
taken. 

Friday  iiigJit,  August  28.  —  Five  weeks    to-day 

since  I  left  you, !  ...    In  my  thoughts 

I  limit  our  separation  to  one  year,  although  I  know 
there  is  not  much  possibility  of  our  meeting  in 
that  time.  Or,  rather,  I  say  to  myself,  in  a  year  I 
will  try  to  leave  America.  And  so,  on  the  25th  of 
this  month,  I  said,  Well,  one  month  has  gone  and 
eleven  are  left.  .  .  .  We  have  been  almost  be- 
calmed for  a  couple  of  days.  ...  I  drink  belola 
in  my  water.  ...  I  am  obliged  to  continue  the 
quinine  every  night. 

Mr.  Clark  is  very  kind  in  all  he  can  do,  but  in 
the  matter  of  health  I  have  to  rely  altogether  on 
myself  But  I  try  to  be  patient,  and  hope  for  the 
best.     God  rules  all  things  for  our  good. 

I  want  to  be  in  Corisco, — that  means  principally 
12* 


134 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


you.  How  I  should  like  to  walk  with  you  again 
around  the  yard,  and  see  the  new  leaves  that  have 
been  put  forth  since  I  left !  Which  tree  grows  the 
best?  Which  do  you  think  will  bear  fruit  first? 
Is  the  rose-apple  alive  that  was  transplanted  at  mid- 
day?    Write  me  about  all  my  especial  pets.  .  .  . 

Monday  night,  August  31. —  .  .  .  God  keep  me 
from  loving  you  too  well !  I  do  love  my  Saviour 
best.  .  .  .  We  are  still  becalmed,  or  making  only 
about  a  "knot"  an  hour,  sometimes  less.  I  try  to 
"  commit  my  way  unto  the  Lord,"  and  to  trust  only 
in  Him.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  September  3. —  ...  This  morning 
the  captain  went  off  to  a  vessel  sailing  in  company 
with  us,  and  spent  the  day.  About  dark  he  came 
back,  bringing  two  English  papers,  with  later  news 
from  America  than  any  we  had  seen.  Of  course, 
their  papers  would  give  all  there  was  against  the 
North ;  and,  if  we  may  believe  them,  the  South 
are  doing  wonders:  "New  Orleans  is  taken!" 
"  Washington  and  Baltimore  in  danger  !"  And  the 
rebels  threatening  Harrisburg  !  .  .  .  I  do  not  like 
to  feel  bitterly  against  the  English,  but  I  wish  I 
was  out  of  one  of  their  ships. 

We  have  sailed  very  little  for  some  days,  but  as 
I  am  not  seasick  in  a  calm,  it  is  easier  for  me  to 
be  patient  than  it  might  be  in  other  circumstances. 

If  the  flour  lasts  I  can  do  pretty  well,  but  we 
never  have  enoutjh  to  hurt  ourselves.     I  have  two 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  135 

cans  of  cocoa  yet  unopened,  and  the  sweet  pota- 
toes are  not  done,  so  I  get  along  very  comfortably. 
I  enjoy  the  oranges  very  much  now,  but  for  several 
weeks  could  not  eat  them.  A  number  have  spoiled, 
and  I  do  not  think  any  of  them  will  keep  long. 

The  rats  are  very  bad,  and  disturb  me  almost 
every  night  in  my  stateroom.  Several  times  the 
rats  have  awakened  me  with  their  feet  on  my  head, 
and  at  other  times  I  suppose  it  is  imagination.  I 
do  not  rest  well,  or  I  should  not  be  so  much  dis- 
turbed by  them.  Two  nights  ago  a  young  rat  got 
in  my  pitcher,  and  floundered  around  until  I  woke. 
I  got  up  to  see  what  the  noise  might  be,  and,  find- 
ing the  youngster,  covered  up  the  pitcher  with  a 
towel,  to  prevent  his  escape.  He  was  very  soon 
quiet,  and  I  thought  he  was  drowned  ;  but  the  little 
rascal  kept  his  nose  above  water  until  morning, 
when  Mr.  Clark  threw  him  overboard.  I  would 
not  have  slept  comfortably  if  I  had  known  he  was 
in  such  an  unpleasant  fix  all  night.  ,  .  .  Do  try 
and  take  care  of  your  health.  Mr.  Clark  said  yes- 
terday you  would  work  till  you  got  sick,  and  then 
come  home  for  me.  He  was  not  putting  the  two  to- 
gether, as  your  intention,  at  all.  I  answered  more 
quickly,  "  I  am  sure  I  hope  not.  I  don't  want  Dr. 
Nassau  to  come  home  for  me."  Neither  do  I ;  but  I 
should  be  very  much  pained  if  I  were  to  find  on 
my  return  (if  I  live)  that  you  were  needing  to  go  to 
America.  .  .  . 


136  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Saturday  night,  September  5. — Last  night  I  cried 
for  you,  my  husband.  It  was  not  the  first  time; 
but  I  have  not  shed  tears  often  since  leaving  Africa. 
God  is  good,  and  watches  over  me,  and  I  suppose 
I  could  not  expect  to  feel  well  and  cheerful  all  the 
time.  .  .  ,  Yesterday  and  the  day  before  I  had  a 
bad  headache.  Our  diet  is  not  nourishing,  and  the 
butter  is  done,  and  rice  and  canned  potatoes  are 
the  only  vegetables,  excepting  my  sweet  potatoes. 
The  bread  is  good,  but  we  are  served  out  a  certain 
allowance ;  and  this  afternoon  I  actually  suffered 
from  hunger  from  dinner-  until  tea-time.  The  rusk 
have  moulded,  but  the  cocoa  lasts. 

I  must  not  forget  to  tell  you  that,  on  reading  the 
papers  yesterday,  the  news  was  not  half  so  bad  as 
the  captain  reported  at  first.  He  must  have  heard 
it  on  the  other  vessel,  and  had  not  read  the  news 
himself,  for  he  was  very  quiet  yesterday,  saying 
nothing  on  American  affairs.  The  subject  is  rarely 
broached  at  the  table.  I  have  only  spoken  twice 
when  it  was,  but  I  have  always  been  vexed.  New 
Orleans  is  not  taken ;  but  the  rebels  were  up  in 
Pennsylvania.  The  latest  date  was  July  3,  and  I 
am  quite  anxious  to  know  the  result  of  the  fighting 
in  my  own  State.  If  the  rebels  are  not  soon  driven 
back,  it  will  be  a  burning  shame. 

I  should  not  have  said  above  there  "  I  suffered'' 
from  hunger;  but  I  was  really  hungry. 

Writing  you  has  put  me  in  better  spirits  than 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL. 


137 


when  I  commenced.  The  captain  of  the  vessel  that 
our  captain  visited  has  his  wife  and  three  children 
along  with  him.  The  captain  told  Mr.  Clark  this 
morning,  when  he  was  proposing  to  go  on  board 
again,  and  he  asked  if  we  could  spare  some  oranges. 
Mr.  Clark  appealed  to  me,  and  we  sent  nine,  just 
the  half  of  our  stock.  .  .  .  How  are  the  children 
getting  along  ?  I  hope  they  are  learning  nicely  ; 
and  I  do  hope  sister  Bella  is  there  to  assist  in  the 
care  of  them.     I  am  sure  they  will  love  her. 

Do  you  know  we  never  named  any  child  for 
Jennie  Frank  Nassau,  as  she  requested  ?  Give  her 
name  to  Ikwele,  unless  you  have  some  other  pref- 
erence. She  is  one  of  your  favorites.  Are  the 
papayas  going  to  bear  this  rainy  season  ?  Mr.  Mon- 
roe, the  second  mate,  says  that  on  a  voyage  from 
China  to  England  their  captain  took  a  number 
of  flowers,  and  nearly  all  lived.  How  have 
Mr.  Mackey's  yellow  sweet  potatoes  succeeded  ? 
And  how  have  the  eddoes,  sent  by  Mr.  Mann, 
grown?  .  .  . 

TJimsday  flight,  September  10. — See,  it  is  five  days 
since  I  wrote  you ;  but  we  have  had  cold  winds 
and  some  rain,  and  I  have  not  felt  well.  .  .  .  Our 
flour  is  nearly  done;  and  what  is  left  they  must  be 
saving  for  "  duff,"  as  we  have  only  had  soft  bread 
once  this  week.  I  think  we  had  a  little  stale  on 
Sunday  evening,  but  do  not  remember  about  that. 
Yesterday  half  of  the  raspberries  were  stewed  for 


138  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

nic,  and  they  arc  very  pleasant.  I  have  persuaded 
Mr.  Clark  to  eat  a  few;  but  we  shall  make  them  last 
several  days.  I  did  not  bring  them  on  the  table, 
but  ate  them  with  some  of  Mrs.  Mackey's  cakes  to- 
day. Her  cakes  are  keeping  nicely.  Last  night  I 
had  some  oatmeal  porridge,  made  for  the  first  time, 
and  another  dish  to-night.  I  hope  it  may  last  until 
we  get  to  Cork,  as  I  enjoy  it  very  much  more  than 
pilot -bread.  The  sweet  potatoes  were  finished 
yesterday,  and  I  shall  miss  them  very  much.  I 
have  not  felt  feverish  for  some  days,  but  I  think  it 
safer  to  continue  the  quinine  in  small  doses.  It 
seems  to  me  I  might  feel  pretty  well  on  land.  .  .  . 

Monday  inornmg,  September  14. —  .  .  .  We  are 
still  within  about  a  week's  sail  of  Cork,  and  have 
been  for  the  last  seven  days.  .  .  .  For  several  days 
we  have  had  E.  and  N.E.  winds,  and  I  have  stayed 
in  my  berth  most  of  the  time  just"  to  keep  warm; 
dressed,  of  course.  Mr.  Clark  is  always  kind  and 
attentive. 

Thursday,  September  \y. — . . .  There  is  now  some 
prospect  of  our  reaching  Cork  on  Monday.  .  .  . 
This  is  quite  a  month  of  anniversaries  with  me. 
Three  years  ago  to-day  I  first  set  foot  on  African 
soil  at  Monrovia.  The  3d  was  my  brother  Willie's 
birthday,  and  the  i6th  Samuel's.  My  brother 
Samuel  died  on  his  eighteenth  birthday;  the  only 
sad  one  among  the  days  to  be  remembered.  The 
happiest  is  September  17.  .  ,  , 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  139 

Our  fare  has  been  rather  better  this  last  week, 
and  we  have  every  morning  now  a  good  hash, 
made  of  pilot-bread  and  salt  meat.  That,  with  rice, 
makes  as  comfortable  a  breakfast  as  any  hungry 
person  need  want.  We  had  rice  and  peas  for 
dinner, — something  very  extraordinary  to  have  two 
vegetables  at  one  meal.  My  appetite  is  improving 
rapidly.  .  .  . 

Saturday,  September  19. —  .  .  .  To-morrow  we 
expect  certainly  to  be  off  Cork,  and  I  am  so  glad 
it  will  be  in  time  for  this  month's  steamer  to  Af- 
rica. .  .  .  The  jug  of  water  is  not  empty  yet,  and 
I  have  used  none  other  for  drinking.  It  has  been 
a  great  comfort.  .  .  .  God  has  been  good  to  us 
thus  far.     Let  us  thank  Him.  .  .  . 

The  arrival  at  Cork  just  in  time  for  the  outgoing 
African  mail-steamer  closed  the  sea-journal  at  the 
above  point.  It  was  continued  by  the  next  month's 
mail. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    HER    HUSBAND. 

Bark  "  Moultan," 
Filth  of  Clyde,  Sept.  24,  1863. 

At  last  we  have  a  steam-tug  fast  to  the  old 
"  Moultan," and  after  all. our  delays  and  uncertain- 
ties there  is  every  probability  of  our  being  in 
Glasgow  to-morrow. 

My  first  letter  to  you  I  closed  on  Saturday,  and 
Sabbath    morning    a   pilot    came  on    board    from 


I40  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Cork.  Mr.  Kerr  went  ashore,  took  our  letters  with 
him,  and  came  back  after  dinner  bringing  a  quarter 
of  beef  and  a  bag  of  potatoes;  but,  most  important, 
our  orders  for  Glasgow,  instead  of  to  Leith. 

Now,  would  you  have  eaten  the  provisions  ?  I 
thought  best  to  do  so,  "asking  no  questions  for 
conscience'  sake."  Roast  beef,  boiled  beef,  beef 
hashed  and  stewed  have  been  the  various  changes, 
—and  three  times  a  day.  Once  we  all  had  steak ; 
but  since  then  the  captain  has  kept  the  steaks  for 
himself,  not  offering  even  me  a  piece.  A  supply 
of  liquor  came  aboard  at  Cork,  and  the  captain 
has  been  drinking  more  than  is  good  for  his  temper 
ever  since.  Yesterday  morning  he  would  not  wait 
until  Mr.  Clark  had  made  my  chair  steady  at  the 
table,  but  called  to  the  steward  and  began  helping 
the  plates  as  fast  as  he  could  without  any  blessing. 
He  added,  as  Mr.  Clark  took  his  seat,  "  Would  to 
God  you  had  gone  ashore  at  Cork!"  When  break- 
fast was  nearly  done,  he  began  asking  Mr.  Clark 
about  the  bill  that  had  been  made  out  for  the 
voyage  before  we  left  Gaboon,  and  made  some  un- 
pleasant remarks  about  the  "  dollar  down  at  four 
shillings  two  pence."  Mr.  Clark  said  the  matter 
of  exchange  was  to  be  settled  when  we  learned 
what  it  was  at  Glasgow.  "  I  am  looking  after  my 
own  interest,"  said  the  captain;  "you  know  I  get 
half  cabin  freight."  How  glad  I  was  to  get  away 
from   the  table  !   .   .   .   I  shall   be  willing  to  -hurry 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  141 

through  the  country,  and  be  off  to  America  just  as 
fast  as  Mr.  Clark  chooses.  He  has  proposed  that 
we  go  by  the  Cunard  Hne,  and  take  second-cabin 
passage.  At  the  beginning  of  the  voyage  I  would 
scarcely  have  consented  to  go  in  the  second  cabin, 
but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  fare  will  be  good, 
and  my  pride  has  worn  away  by  sea-sickness.  .  . 
God  has  been  very  good  to  me,  and  I  do  hope  I 
shall  have  learned  some  lessons  of  patience  from 
some  of  the  discomforts  on  board  of  this  ship.  It 
would  be  truly  a  blessing  to  say,  with  St.  Paul,  "  I 
have  learned  in  zuhatsocver  state  I  am  therewith  to 
be  content."  .  .  .  Mr.  Kerr  brought  me  an  apple,, 
too,  the  first  I  had  seen  for  three  years.  .  ,  . 

Tuesday  mornings  Glasgoiv,  September  29. — Our 
vessel  arrived  in  Glasgow  near  midnight  on  Thurs- 
day, September  24,  and  we  had  decided  to  go  by 
the  Cunard  line  on  Saturday  if  possible.  We  met, 
however,  with  such  kind  friends  that  we  were  pre- 
vailed on  to  stay  and  take  to-morrow's  steamer. 
Mr.  and  M^s  Thomson  have  done  more  to  make 
us  pleased  with  Scotland  than  ever  the  captain  did 
to  prejudice  us  against  the  country;  and  I  am  still 
proud  to  say  that  my  ancestors  were  partly  Scotch. 

After  our  voyage  on  the  "  Moultan,"  the  atmos- 
phere of  kindness  seems  so  pleasant  and  rests  me 
so  much  that  I  dread  the  sea  again.  ...  I  told 
you  we  arrived  near  midnight  of  Thursday,  and 
we  took  a  cab  to  a  house  that  Mr.  Kerr  said  he 


142  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

knew  to  be  a  quiet  and  respectable  one.  The  next 
morning,  after  not  a  very  good  rest,  I  went  to  the 
small  parlor,  and  found  Mr.  Clark,  who  had  been 
gathering  information  from  the  newspapers.  After 
a  hearty  breakfast  of  beefsteak  and  rolls  had  been 
served  up  to  us  in  a  private  parlor  on  my  account, 
Mr.  Clark  went  out  on  business.  In  a  few  minutes 
he  came  in  bringing  me  a  paper  of  plums  and 
pears,  for  which  I  had  been  longing.  Afterwards 
he  went  out  to  make  arrangements  about  our 
leaving  that  night  for  Liverpool,  and  to  see  Mr. 
Laughland.  I  remained  alone,  sitting  very  close 
to  a  small  fire  that  had  been  made  for  me  in  a 
grate.  Your  afghan  was  thrown  over  my  shoul- 
ders besides.  I  was  thinking  Glasgow  a  dismal 
place.  .  .  .  While  I  was  sitting  on  a  low  stool, 
looking,  I've  no  doubt,  very  dismal,  the  servant 
came  to  the  door  saying  that  two  gentlemen  were 
inquiring  for  "  Mrs.  Nassau,"  and  straightway 
ushered  them  in.  I  was  in  a  momentary  maze, 
but  had  not  time  to  wonder  much,  for  as  I  rose 
one  of  the  gentlemen  stepped  forward,  held  out  his 
hand,  and  announced  himself  as  "  Mr.  Thomson, 
of  the  Calabar  mission."  He  introduced  the  other 
gentleman  as  his  uncle,  Mr.  George  Thomson, 
and  handed  me  a  note  from  Mr.  Clark.  As  I 
looked  up  from  the  note,  Mr.  T.  said  they  had 
called  to  ask  if  I  would  not  go  with  him  to  his 
house  during  our  stay;   Mr.  Clark  had  been  un- 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  143 

able  to  come  with  them,  but  would  meet  me  there 
if  I  were  willing  to  go.  I  answered,  "  Oh,  I  would 
rather  go  with  you  than  stay  here." 

They  had  learned  through  Mr.  Laughland  of 
our  expected  arrival,  and  on  seeing  by  the  paper 
that  the  "  Moultan"  was  in  port,  they  sought  out 
Mr.  Clark  and  myself  and  brought  us  to  their 
house. 

On  reaching  Mr.  George  Thomson's  I  was  in- 
troduced to  his  sister,  Miss  Amelia,  who  keeps 
house  for  him  ;  and  the  kindness  of  all  made  me 
very  much  at  home.  The  next  day  their  niece, 
Miss  Jessie  Thomson,  returned  from  a  visit  in 
the  country,  and  she  is  the  only  other  member 
of  the  family.     They  have  been  almost  too  kind. 

The  first  day,  while  we  were  still  expecting  to 
leave  by  the  night  train,  Mr.  Thomson  ordered  a 
cab  and  took  me  a  drive  through  their  park 
around  a  very  pretty  part  of  the  town.  Before 
evening  I  found  that  Mr.  Clark  was  willing  to  re- 
main until  the  beginning  of  this  week,  and  I 
said  I  too  should  be  very  glad  to  stay.  Miss 
Thomson  went  out  with  me  that  afternoon  (Fri- 
day), and  I  bought  a  very  pretty  dark-brown 
wrapper.  I  have  also  bought  a  warm  shawl, 
which  I  hope  will  last  me  for  best  and  traveling 
through  the  winter.  I  do  not  want  to  get  a 
cloak  for  one  winter  only;  it  would  not  seem 
right.  .  .  . 


144  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Royal  Hotf.i,,  Liverpool, 
Wed.  morning,  Sept.  30,  1863. 

Here  we  are  at  our  la.st  stopping-place,  having 
arrived  about  .six  o'clock  this  morning.  We  were 
expecting  to  leave  Glasgow  at  4  p.m.  yesterday, 
but  it  was  finally  decided  that  we  should  remain 
until  evening,  and  go  by  the  night  line  at  9  p.m. 
We  took  a  first-class  car,  partly  on  my  account 
and  partly  because  we  could  bring  with  us  a  larger 
amount  of  baggage  fi-ee.  I  had  rather  advised 
taking  a  second-  or  third-class,  but  even  in  the 
most  comfortable  car  I  was  quite  tired  when  we 
reached  the  end  of  our  journey.  There  were  seats 
for  six  in  the  compartment  that  we  occupied,  and 
a  gentleman  who  rode  with  us  for  a  short  distance 
showed  Mr.  Clark  how  to  arrange  the  portman- 
teau and  cushions  so  that  I  could  lie  down  quite 
comfortably. 

Mr.  and  Miss  Thomson  have  given  me  a  cordial 
invitation  to  visit  them  on  my  return  to  Corisco, 
and  to  make  my  arrangements  to  remain  for  a  few 
weeks,  in  order  to  see  something  of  the  country.  It 
was  my  first  experience  of  kindness  shown  me  as 
to  a  viissioiiary ,  and  it  made  a  deep  impression. 
(I  should  except  my  visit  at  Mrs.  Berrian's,  in  New 
York  ;  and  perhaps  my  visits  on  the  Liberian 
coast.)  The  American  question  was  discussed 
pretty  freely,  and  they  seemed  glad  of  information 
on  some  points,  but  I  heard  nothing  unpleasant. 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  145 

Mr.  John  Laughland  called  on  us  two  ev^enings 
ago,  and  was  very  pleasant.  A  Mr.  Clark,  of  the 
Botanical  Gardens,  sent  me  a  beautiful  bunch  of 
flowers.  It  has  rained  almost  every  day  since  we 
reached  Glasgow,  and  Sabbath  morning  it  was 
far  too  stormy  for  me  to  attempt  going  out.  That 
was  a  disappointment,  too ;  but  I  was  able  to  go 
through  some  rain  in  the  afternoon.  We  went  to 
hear  Dr.  MacDuff,  the  author  of  several  books  in 
our  mission  ;  but  I  must  confess  to  being  disap- 
pointed,— only  a  little,  however.  The  sermon  was 
very  beautiful,  but  the  first  part  was  almost  too  full 
of  figures.  ... 

Mrs.  Nassau's  full,  cheerful,  sprightly  pages  of 
her  journey  to  New  York,  and  short  stay  in  the 
United  States,  are  marked  by  the  same  kind  recep- 
tions and  tender  welcomes  that  began  so  brightly 
at  Glasgow ;  then  at  Liverpool  at  the  embarka- 
tion, September  30,  on  the  "  City  of  Baltimore," 
on  the  Inman  line  of  transatlantic  steamers ;  at 
the  landing  in  New  York,  October  13;  at  the 
Mission  House,  23  Centre  Street,  New  York,  by 
the  secretaries  of  the  Board,  and  in  letters  there 
awaiting  her  from  four  different  homes ;  the  glad 
return  to  her  loved  uncle's  in  Philadelphia;  the 
hearty  affection  and  sympathy  of  her  new  parents 
and  brothers  and  sisters  at  Lawrenceville ;  the 
rare  skill  and  judgment  of  her  Christian  physician, 
13* 


146  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Dr.  C.  S.  Bishop ;  all  these,  with  the  social  privi- 
leges, as  much  as  medicine  and  food,  contributed 
to  rapid  restoration  to  health  and  strength. 

At  Corisco,  the  mission  work  had  gone  on  as 
successfully  as  the  few  hands  there  could  direct. 
The  Spanish  had  proceeded  on  a  shadowy  claim 
made  years  before,  and  in  February,  1864,  built  a 
large  and  handsome  mission-house,  called  "  St. 
Ignatius,"  near  the  village  of  Esowfi,  on  the  line 
of  the  path  between  Evangasimba  and  Ugobi.  On 
May  6,  Rev.  George  Paull's  arrival  on  Corisco 
added  a  fifth  to  our  missionary  company.  But  on 
the  23d  of  May  it  was  again  reduced  to  four  by  the 
temporary  return  of  Mr.  Mackey  to  America. 

After  the  birth  of  her  Willie,  on  Februarj^  28, 
1864,  Mrs.  Nassau  kept  a  constant  look-out  on  the 
shipping  news  for  an  early  opportunity  to  return 
to  Africa,  her  home,  and  her  chosen  work.  Before 
her  babe  was  three  months  old  the  arrival  of  the 
"  Greyhound"  at  New  York  from  Africa  excited 
her  hopes  and  plans  for  a  passage  by  it. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

1638  North  15th  St.,  Philadelphia, 
May  13,  1864. 

My  ship-letters  per  barque  "  Greyhound"  came 
this  morning,  and  I  wish  to  make  some  inquiries 
immediately,  although  I  expect  to  hear  from  you 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL.  147 

in  a  day  or  two.  If  possible,  I  wish  to  return  by 
the  "Greyhound."  Does  Captain  Yates  sail  in  her? 
Mrs.  Preston  wrote  me  from  the  ship  that  he 
would  not  unless  his  wife  wished  to  accompany 
him.  Please  find  out  for  me  as  soon  as  you  can. 
If  "  our  Captain  Yates"  does  not  go,  who  will  ? 
Will  the  Board  send  Mrs.  Clemens  by  this  oppor- 
tunity ? 

Mrs.  Preston  made  no  complaints  of  the  accom- 
modations, and  I  presume  I  could  get  along  if  the 
vessel  be  considered  sea-worthy. 

I  am  much  better  than  when  you  saw  me,  and 
do  not  like  to  lose  a  good  opportunity. 

Please  let  me  know  right  away  the  first  things  you 
can  find  out.  I  am  hoping  to  take  the  babe  with 
me.  Dr.  Nassau  leaves  the  final  decision  of  the 
question  with  me,  and  I  want  to  take  the  child. 
He  will  be  eleven  weeks  old  on  Sunday. 

Would  the  Board  rather  I  should  wait  till  some- 
thing more  definite  is  heard  of  the  movements  of 
the  Spanish?  .  .  . 

This  is  a  hurried  letter,  but  you  can  let  them 
read  it  at  the  Mission  House.  The  "Benga 
Primer"  came.  I  am  much  pleased  with  it.  I  am 
getting  strong  enough  to  have  my  teeth  attended 
to  now,  which  will  be  all  that  could  delay  me.  I 
want  to  go  if  I  am  able. 


148-  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


MRS.  NASSAU    TO    HER    HUSBAND. 

Lawrenckvillk,  N.  J. 
IIoMK,  Mond.  night,  May  30,  '64. 

Little  Willie  is  asleep,  asleep  in  his  grandpa's 
cradle,  and  I  will  say  a  few  words  to  you.  A  short 
letter  must  do  you  for  this  time,  for  I  have  been 
in  a  continued  hurry  and  bustle  for  the  last  two 
weeks,  and  in  two  weeks  more  I  may  be  on  the 
"  Greyhound"  bound  for  Corisco.  Baby  and  I  are 
coming  to  you,  ,  .  .  and  I  have  engaged  a  woman 
to  go  with  me.  She  is  twenty-four, — a  native  of 
Sierra  Leone, — and  asks  three  dollars  a  week.  I 
tried  to  get  an  older  woman,  but  I  could  not.  .  .  . 
The  wages  are  high,  but  I  may  as  well  spend  the 
money  on  our  child  as  give  it  away. 

Wait  on  the  beach, — do  not  come  off  in  the 
boat, — and  wear  a  hat,  that  will  look  n\ovQ  fatherly  / 
We  talk  a  good  deal  to  baby  about  going  out  to 
see  his  papa,  and  he  seems  much  pleased  with  the 
prospect.  .  .  .  Bring  my  little  colored  children  down 
to  the  beach, — I  love  them  the  more  now.  .  .  .  The 
boxes  you  sent  came  the  week  before  I  came  to 
Lawrenceville.  If  I  had  had  your  last  letter,  of 
March  (which  came  May  28),  I  would  have  saved 
more  than  I  did  for  Dr.  Bishop.  Will  you  not  put 
up  a  box  purposely  for  him,  and  have  it  ready  to 
send  by  the  "  Greyhound  ?"  I  gave  some  to  Mrs. 
Gallagher  and  Mrs.  Boyd,  some  to  Kate  and  Aunt 


A    WIFE,  AND    THE  SCHOOL. 


149 


Margaretta.  .  .  .  Sister  Bella  will  tell  you  of  my 
visit  here.  It  is  like  home.  I  love  them  all  so 
much.  Brother  Joseph  is  at  home,  too,  and  I  was 
so  glad  to  see  him. 

I  have  bought  a  cradle  for  Willie,  and  will  get  a 
little  carriage  for  him.  I  want  to  bring  some  things 
for  our  black  children  too.  .  .  .  God  spare  our  little 
one's  life  to  return  to  America!  He  is  to  be  Aunt 
Lizzie's  boy,  with  your  consent,  when  we  give  him 
up.  .  .  . 

...  I  was  at  Princeton  to-day,  and  saw  the  door 
of  your  room  in  the  Seminary.  The  students  are 
all  gone,  so  I  was  not  able  to  invite  any  to  go  to 
Africa.  ...  I  was  saddened  at  the  thought  of  the 
Spanish  being  on  Corisco.  If  we  leave  there,  I 
think  I  do  not  vote  for  Gaboon.  You  said  once 
you  thought  you  could  get  along  better  with  the 
colonists  in  Liberia ;  but,  I  want  what  you  want, 
except  Gaboon,  or  even  that. 

"  For  my  secret  heart  is  taught  the  truth 
That  makes  Thy  children  free; 
And  a  life  of  self-renouncing  love 
Is  a  life  of  libei-ty," 


I50  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

A    MOTHER. — RETURN    TO    THE   SCHOOL. 
1864,  1865.     At  Sea.     Corisco. 

"  Casting  upon  the  common  things  of  earth 
A  brightness,  born  and  gone  with  infant  mirth." 

"  Mother,  with  thine  earnest  eye 
Ever  following  silently." 

Uncertainty  marked  Mrs.  Nassau's  preparations 
for  return  to  Africa  by  the  "  Greyhound"  until 
within  a  few  days  of  its  sailing.  Not  an  uncer- 
tainty in  her  intention,  nor  in  readiness  of  baggage, 
but  as  to  whether  the  small  accommodations  could 
admit  her.  There  was  room  for  only  one  more 
passenger,  and  Mrs.  Clemens  (whose  going  was 
still  uncertain)  had  the  precedence  of  right  to  it. 
Mrs.  Nassau  finally  received  word  from  the  Mission 
House  that  she  could  not  go.  But  in  the  very  last 
days  her  former  Corisco  friend,  Dr.  Loom  is,  in- 
terested himself  personally,  vigorously,  and  even 
manually  in  inclosing  from  the  ship's  cabin  an  ex- 
temporaneous room,  and  a  telegram  summoned 
her  joyfully  to  embark. 


A  MOTHER.—RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL. 


151 


A  happy  company  of  returning  and  new  mis- 
sionaries that  set  sail  in  the  "  Greyhound"  on  June 
16,  1864.  Besides  the  captain,  P.  D.  Yates,  and 
his  wife,  there  were,  for  the  Lutheran  mission  in 
Liberia,  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice,  and  Mrs.  Kistler, 
each  with  her  infant ;  for  the  Episcopal  mission  at 
Cape  Palmas,  Rev.  Thos.  Burrows  ;  for  the  Gaboon 
mission,  Mrs.  Rev.  L  M.  Preston ;  and  for  Corisco, 
Mrs.  Clemens,  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer,  and 
Mrs.  Nassau  and  babe  and  nurse. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    HER    SISTER-IN-LAW,  MISS    M.   E. 
NASSAU. 

Bark  "Greyhound,"  Aug.  23,  1864. 
Tuesday,  Off  Guinea  Coast. 

We  anchored  off  Monrovia  Monday  evening, 
July  25,  and  sent  a  few  notes  ashore  to  our  friend, 
hoping  to  receive  invitations  to  come  off  the  next 
day,  the  anniversary  of  Liberian  independence. 

Mr.  James  (Hon.  B.  V.  R.  James)  was  up  the 
St.  Paul's  River,  but  Mrs.  James  wrote  a  few  kind 
words  of  welcome,  and  the  most  of  our  company 
decided  to  spend  the  day  on  land. 

As  it  was  a  misty  afternoon,  the  Kroomen  did 
not  meet  us  as  far  out  as  usual ;  but  soon  after  we 
came  in  sight  the  canoes  came  steering  towards  us, 
full  of  more  than  half-naked  savages.  Several  wore 
their  shirt  and  large  cloth  in  a  bundle  on  top  of 
their  head,  and  came  on  deck  almost  nude.  Except 


152  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

a  little  strip  of  cotton  cloth,  for  the  sake  of  decency, 
they  had  nothing  to  encumber  them  as  they  climbed 
up  the  ship's  side,  and  presented  themselves  with 
a  "How  do,  mammy?"  to  our  new  lady  passen- 
gers. Mrs.  Rice  and  Mrs.  De  Heer  ran  away  at 
first,  but  soon  returned  to  make  acquaintance  with 
some  real  Africans.  After  reaching  the  deck,  some 
of  the  exquisites  put  on  a  shirt  and  large  cloth, 
and  paraded  around  conscious  of  their  superiority. 

Willie  showed  no  fear,  and  was  willing  to  go  to 
any  of  them,  which  the  other  babies  would  not  do 
at  first.  Finally,  your  aspiring  nephew  got  hold  of 
one  of  their  big  black  fingers,  and  found  it  much 
more  to  his  taste  for  biting  on  than  his  rubber 
ring.  .  .  . 

On  Tuesday  morning  all  went  ashore  but  Mrs. 
Kistler,  Mrs.  Preston,  and  myself,  and  we  enjoyed 
very  much  a  quiet  day  on  board,  with  more  room 
to  move  around  in  than  we  had  for  more  than  five 
weeks.  .  .  .  As  I  was  not  on  shore,  I  cannot  tell 
you  much  about  their  great  day ;  but  all  the  com- 
pany came  back  in  fine  spirits, — the  new-comers 
delighted  with  their  reception  and  entertainment. 
Mrs.  Rice  said,  "  Who  would  have  expected  to  see 
such  style  on  the  coast  of  Africa?"  .  .  .  They 
went  to  the  Representatives'  Hall,  and  heard  the 
orators  of  the  day,  and  then  divided  for  dinner. 

The  next  day  Mrs.  Preston  had  one  of  her  hard 
headaches,  but  the  rest  of  us  went  off.    Mrs.  Clemens 


A  MOTHER.—RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    153 

had  not  stayed  ashore  the  first  evening ;  she  held 
WilHe  in  her  lap  from  the  ship  to  the  beach.  It 
commenced  to  rain  before  we  reached  the  shore, 
and  we  found  the  landing  rough,  too.  One  man 
jumped  out  and  tried  to  hold  the  boat,  while  an- 
other caught  up  Mrs.  Kistler  and  waded  off  to  dry- 
land with  her.  Her  silk  skirt  got  a  wetting  in  salt 
water  as  a  wave  came  up  and  carried  us  back  to 
sea.  It  was  some  minutes  before  the  waves  sub- 
sided enough  to  let  us  come  up  to  the  beach  again, 
and  I  feared  Mrs.  Kistler  would  worry  about 
Harry ;  but,  at  the  second  or  third  trial,  they  landed 
us  all.  The  rain  was  falling  fast,  and  we  all  went 
up  to  one  of  the  Kroo  huts  to  wait  awhile.  The 
people  crowded  in,  and  Willie  was  passed  around 
and  praised  by  the  natives.  One  woman,  I  think, 
wanted  to  let  him  nurse,  but  I  pretended  not  to 
understand ;  not  because  she  was  black,  but  be- 
cause I  did  not  know  how  old  her  child  might  be. 
When  the  rain  slackened  a  little,  we  started  up  the 
hilly,  rocky,  grassy  path  for  Mr.  James's.  Mon- 
rovia streets  are  the  worst  I  have  seen  in  Liberia. 
(That  is  the  first  moral  reflection ;  you  can  stop 
and  study  it  at  your  leisure.) 

About  half-way  up  we  met  Mr.  Crummell,  a  col- 
ored Episcopal  clergyman,  and  on  inquiring  whether 
Mr.  Kistler  had  been  heard  from,  he  said  he  had 
seen  him  but  a  few  minutes  before,  and  would 
bring  him  to  us.    On  second  thoughts  he  took  Mrs. 

14 


154 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


Kistler  with  him  to  meet  her  husband,  and  the  rest 
of  us  waited  until  they  should  return.  Harry  was 
in  Mr.  Burrowes's  arms,  and  Willie  was  held  by  a 
three-quarter-grown  Krooman.  When  the  party 
returned,  Mr.  Kistler  was  introduced  to  each  one 
before  showing  him  his  baby,  and  I  said  it  was  a 
shame  to  keep  him  waiting.  Some  one  cried, 
"  Let  us  see  if  he  will  know  his  own  boy!"  He 
looked  first  at  Harry,  who  was  quite  near  him, 
then  said,  "  Let  me  see  the  other."  After  a  look 
at  Willie  and  a  second  at  Harry,  he  stepped  back, 
smiling,  and  said,  "  I  cannot  tell."  That  made  us 
all  laugh,  and  I  called  out,  "  Take  the  one  with 
the  black  eyes ;"  another,  "  Take  the  biggest 
boy."  .  .  .  He  ought  to  have  known  his  own 
child,  if  he  was  accustomed  to  looking  in  the  glass, 
for  the  youngster  had  his  father's  large,  dark  eyes. 
Mrs.  Kistler  has  dark  hair  and  eyes,  too,  but  I 
thought  he  had  half  a  notion  to  take  Willie; 
perhaps  because  he  was  with  a  native,  and  he 
supposed  that  Mr.  Burrowes  was  carrying  his 
own  boy.  It  was  a  trying  position,  I  should 
judge;  but  he  went  through  it  very  well.  .  ,  . 

Now,  I  think  I  have  kept  you  about  as  long  in 
the  path  as  we  were  from  Kroo  town  up  to  the 
house.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  met  us  very  kindly, 
and  both  praised  the  baby,  who  would  go  to  any 
one  without  seeming  to  know  the  difference  be- 
tween white  and  black.     I  do  not  suppose  he  does. 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    155 

either.  They  did  not  speak  of  any  difference  of 
color,  as  that  is  a  subject  I  rarely  heard  mentioned 
in  Liberia.  .  .  .  Anna,  the  little  girl  at  Mrs.  James's, 
was  an  orphan,  having  lost  both  her  parents 
shortly  after  coming  out  to  Liberia.  She  was 
almost  white,  and  had  soft  pretty  hair  that  curled 
as  loosely  as  many  white  persons*.  When  we  went 
ashore  we  would  go  first  to  Mr.  James's.  .  .  . 
When  we  went  out,  Anna  often  went  along  to 
carry  the  baby,  and  she  was  stopped  every  day  by 
some  one  who  called  her  to  the  door  to  get  a  look 
at  the  child.  .  .  . 

Thursday,  August  25. — We  are  anchored  off 
Cape  Coast  this  morning.  We  may  be  at  Corisco 
in  three  weeks,  but  we  were  almost  a  week — over 
six  days — in  coming  the  four  hundred  miles  from 
Cape  Palmas  here.  We  go  next  to  Accra,  then 
Fernando  Po,  then  Corisco. 

Mrs.  Thompson  is  sea-sick  so  much  that  I  have 
but  little  time  to  write.  I  keep  Willie  at  night, 
dress  and  undress  him,  make  his  food,  and  feed 
him.  Mrs.  Preston  occasionally  washes  him  in 
the  morning,  because  she  likes  to  do  it.  If  it  were 
not  for  her  I  would  get  but  little  writing  done,  and 
she  has  sewed  more  for  Willie  than  I  have.  When 
I  get  out  some  article  to  alter  or  cut  out,  or  sew 
on,  and  have  it  well  commenced,  she  will  say, 
"  Let  me  finish  that,  and  you  get  something  else 
ready." 


156  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

On  arrival  at  Monrovia  the  young  colored 
woman,  who  had  come  with  Mrs.  Nassau  from 
America  under  enf^agement  to  Corisco,  left  her 
service ;  but  a  faithful  substitute  was  found  in  the 
person  of  a  Liberian  colonist,  Mrs.  Thompson. 

Meanwhile  in  Corisco  the  coming  of  the  "  Grey- 
hound" was  anxiously  expected,  though  Mrs.  Nas- 
sau's presence  on  board  was  not  known  ;  the  list 
of  passengers  and  the  announcement  of  the  vessel's 
intended  sailing  having  been  forwarded  while  yet 
the  question  of  obtaining  passage  was  in  abeyance. 
So  it  was  startling  when  the  mail  came  on  Sep- 
tember I,  and  Mrs.  McQueen  opened  for  me  the 
mail-bag,  while  I  was  in  the  confusion  of  some 
house  repairs,  and  handed  a  letter  from  Mrs,  Nas- 
sau written,  on  August  16,  at  Cape  Palmas.  There 
was  some  consternation,  too  ;  for  vessels  had  been 
known  to  come  in  ten  days  from  the  cape ;  and, 
what  if  the  new  missionary  company  should  come 
next  day  and  find  our  house  all  in  confusion !  The 
instant  determination  to  stay  up  all  night  and  put 
the  house  in  order  was  found  unnecessary  on 
reading  the  letter  and  finding  that  the  vessel,  in- 
stead of  coming  directly  to  Corisco,  was  to  go  up 
into  the  Bight  of  Benin,  and  therefore  could  not 
reach  Corisco  until  the  last  of  the  month.  Yet 
thenceforth  daily  the  horizon  was  scanned  to  see 
the  approach  of  anything  like  a  ship.  And  when, 
towards  the  close  of  the  month,  Consul  May  and 


A  MOTHER.—RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL. 


157 


Rev.  I.  M.  Preston  came  from  Gaboon  with  the 
expectation  of  finding  Mrs.  Preston  already  at 
Corisco,  we  felt  that  interests  were  concentrating 
on  the  little  island  and  that  joy  was  imminent. 

By  six  o'clock,  sunrise  of  Sabbath  morning, 
September  25,  Mrs.  McQueen's  early  eye  discov- 
ered a  vessel  at  anchor  dressed  out  in  flags  that 
meant  joy;  and  the  intensity  of  that  joy  for  the 
half-frantic  school-children  was  that  Mrs.  Nassau 
was  there.  There  was  anxious  looking  in  that 
bright  tropic  Sabbath  morning  light  to  see  whether 
the  ship's  two  boats  were  being  lowered,  as  it  was 
assumed  that  the  ship's  company  would  be  coming 
ashore  to  church.  And  there  was  hesitation,  on 
the  high  standard  of  Sabbath  observance  that  we 
had  set  the  natives,  whether  the  apparently  unne- 
cessary act  of  getting  out  our  own  boat  simply  for 
the  gratification  of  a  welcome  would  not  be  mis- 
understood, and  be  afterward  cast  up  to  the  church- 
session  by  Sabbath  transgressors.  Missionary  lives 
that  preach  by  a  consistency  to  principle  more 
than  by  utterances  of  truths  often  have  to  make 
sacrifices  of  feeling  uncalled  for  in  Christian  lands. 
While  thus  hesitating,  some  natives  said,  "  Surely, 
you  will  send  off  a  boat.  We  have  eyes,  and  can 
see  differences." 

The  boat  was  launched  and  Consul  May  and 
Mr.  Preston  went  off  to  the  ship,  while  I  arranged 
for  the  usual  morning  services  at  Evangasimba, — 
14* 


158  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Mr.  Paull  having  gone  to  his  usual  duty  of  a 
preaching  service  on  the  other  side  of  the  island, — 
and  Mrs.  McQueen  dressed  the  girls  for  church. 

The  timely  arrival  of  our  mission  boat  at  the 
ship's  side  gave  all  its  company  an  opportunity  to 
land.  What  a  goodly  company  it  was  !  What  a 
happy  Sabbath  day  !  Restful  after  the  separations 
of  fourteen  months,  and  after  the  life  on  ship- 
board wearying  in  its  kindest  phase. 

The  Evangasimba  first  bell  for  church  was  ring- 
ing as  the  three  boats  landed  each  its  quartette  of 
foreign  faces :  Mrs.  Nassau  and  babe  and  nurse ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Preston; 
Mrs,  Clemens,  Consul  May,  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Yates,  and  a  Rev.  Mr,  Heigart  from  Liberia  on  his 
way  to  America,  Glad  welcomes, — introductions, 
— hearts  whose  joy  words  did  not  express,  and  so 
lips  were  dumb, — faces,  the  occupancy  of  whose 
features  was  disputed  by  happy  smiles  and  as 
happy  tears.  And  all  around  a  surging  crowd  of 
natives  whose  hands  sought  in  their  rude  welcome 
each  disengaged  white  hand.  And  so  the  com- 
pany was  escorted  to  Mrs.  Mackey's  on  the  top  of 
the  hill,  and  had  a  little  respite  from  the  native 
crowd,  until  the  second  bell  rang  for  service  in  the 
bamboo  church.  The  grateful  thanks  of  that  day 
made  its  low,  unadorned  walls  as  lovely  to  the 
Great  Giver  and  Receiver  as  was  ever  any  earthly 
Bcth-el. 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    159 

After  church  the  people  rather  broke  in  on  us, 
at  the  Maluku  house,  to  see  the  baby,  whom,  while 
distant  and  "  unseen,"  they  had  named  Ayanve. 
He  was  only  the  fourth  white  baby  they  had  seen 
on  the  island ;  and  they  crowded  the  church,  a 
week  later  on  communion  Sabbath,  to  see  his 
baptism  by  Rev.  George  Paull. 

So  general  had  been  the  opinion  that  residence 
in  Africa  was  necessarily  fatal  to  infant  life,  that 
but  few  of  our  missionaries  had  attempted  a  test 
of  the  question,  and  had  either  separated  from  their 
children  or  retired  from  our  work.  To  make  my 
experiment  successful  I  had,  in  anticipation  of  my 
babe's  coming,  gathered  three  goats.  One  of  them 
had  kidded  about  a  week  before  the  ship  came,  so 
that  he  had  food  ready.  I  had  a  confidence  that 
God  would  not  let  the  winds  bring  the  ship  to 
Corisco  before  "  Annunciata"  had  borne  her  kid. 
So  when  I  went  to  the  enclosure  every  day  and 
saw  no  kid,  I  knew  no  ship  would  come  that 
day.  And  when  little  Esongi  came  breathless  to 
announce  a  kid,  with  eyes  that  spake  almost  as 
plainly  as  the  lips  that,  stumbling  over  the  English 
name,  said,  "  Amtmisiata  a  jandi  iii^s^na^'  the  ^^ 
promise  was  near.  And  just  when  the  kid  could 
spare  part  of  its  dam's  milk  the  babe  came  for  his 
share.     And  we  said,  Jehovah-jireh. 

Dr.  Loomis  had  put  a  goat  on  board  at  New 
York,  that  was  very  useful  across  the  ocean,  until 


l6o  CROWNED  JN  PALM- LAND. 

after  passing  Cape  Pal  mas,  when,  in  its  search  for 
fresh  provisions,  it  got  hold  of  some  precious  lily- 
bulbs  of  Mrs.  Clemens  and  choked  itself. 


MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS   J.  W.  BAIRD. 

CoRisco,  W.  A.,  Oct.  14,  1864. 

Your  kind  letter  was  received  in  America  some 
eight  or  nine  months  ago,  and  my  reasons  for  not 
answering  more  promptly  ought  to  and  shall  be 
given.  A  long  illness,  a  baby  that  keeps  up  almost 
perpetual  motion,  preparations  for  and  a  journey 
to  Africa  accompanied  by  said  baby.  And  now, 
thanks  to  a  kind  Father's  care,  I  am  back  again  in 
my  Corisco  home ;  and  though  my  strength  is  not 
much  to  boast  of,  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to  fulfill 
that  which  is  allotted. 

The  "  Greyhound"  anchored  off  Corisco  on  a 
Sabbath  morning,  and  we  came  ashore  in  time  for 
church;  but  the  children  were  not  on  the  beach  to 
welcome  us,  as  they  would  have  been  another  day. 
I  was  very  glad  to  see  my  little  girls  again,  and 
still  more  pleased  with  their  improvement  during 
my  absence.  They  are  delighted  with  the  baby, 
and  say  they  must  not  be  angry  with  him  for  any- 
thing, as  he  is  "the  child  of  our  mother."  That  is 
the  term  for  our  brother  or  sister;  for  the  men 
here  have  so  many  wives  that  a  "  father's  child" 
may  only  be  a  half-brother  or  sister. 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    i6i 

Jennie  Baird  is  the  one  I  call  on  when  the  nurse 
is  busy,  and  I  want  a  child  to  take  Willie  for  a 
short  time.  She  is  now  one  of  the  older  girls;  but 
that  does  not  prove  her  to  be  very  large,  as  almost 
all  are  small, — none  are  over  twelve.  Jennie  is 
about  eleven  (or  under) ;  very  quiet,  gentle,  and 
useful ;  intelligent  for  her  age,  but  too  modest  to 
make  much  of  a  show.  She  is  not  in  the  habit  of 
making  smart  speeches,  or  performing  any  unusual 
labors  that  might  help  to  fill  up  a  letter  and  make 
it  interesting,  but  she  is  growing  up  to  be  a  great 
dependence.  Yesterday,  when  I  asked  what  word  I 
should  send  you  from  her,  she  could  only  think  of 
" Mbolo"  their  usual  salutation;  but,  when  one  of 
the  others  suggested  that  she  should  ask  for  a 
present,  she  indignantly  refused. 

Last  Saturday,  when  we  were  all  very  busy  get- 
ting some  changes  made,  and  trying  to  bring  some 
order  out  of  the  confusion,  Jennie  took  a  great 
deal  of  care  of  Willie,  and  put  him  to  sleep  twice. 
My  nurse,  Mrs.  Thompson,  of  Monrovia,  was  very 
bad  with  "  a  misery  in  her  back,"  and  unable  to 
do  anything;  so  it  was  necessity  more  than  choice 
that  left  the  baby  with  one  of  the  children  so 
much.  .  .  . 

The  Corisco  band  was  again  large  enough  for 
companionship.  The  vacancy  at  Alongo  filled  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer.     Mrs.  Clemens,  a  member 


1 62  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

of  the  Maluku  household,  and  sharing  equally 
with  Mrs.  McQueen  in  the  instruction  and  care  of 
the  girls.  And  the  Spanish  Padres  Garcia  and 
Torre,  with  whom  we  occasionally  exchanged 
visits,  added  two  to  the  white  faces  to  be  met  on 
island  paths. 

The  admirable  arrangement  of  dividing  the  work 
of  the  girl's  school  among  three  ladies  made  the 
assistance,  or  even  presence,  of  a  male  missionary 
almost  unnecessary.  No  one  felt  tied  as  in  a 
tread-mill.  If  there  was  sickness,  there  were 
kind  interchanges  of  aid;  if  all  were  well,  some 
one  or  other  of  the  ladies  had  time  for  village 
visitations  among  the  women.  And  I  being  thus 
relieved  almost  entirely  from  care  of  the  school, 
there  was  time  for  translations  and  other  writing 
and  teaching. 

In  such  companionship  each  aroused  the  other 
from  the  depression  which  isolation  induces,  and 
which  strips  of  the  energy  necessary  to  move  out 
of  a  narrow  routine  into  healthful  change  or  even 
exercise. 

Excursions  for  health  and  exercise  were  made. 
The  gratification  of  the  school-girls,  who  would 
weary  of  too  long  restraint,  was  always  a  primary 
object.  Mrs.  Nassau's  cheerful  spirit  entered  zeal- 
ously into  plans  for  the  children  who,  though  no 
longer  under  special  instruction,  were  still  under 
her  care.     In  such  excursions  were  mingled,  with 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    163 

the  pleasure  for  our  pupils,  the  profit  that  natural 
sciences  could  afford  our  tastes  by  discovery  of. 
new  specimens  in  the  world  of  botany  or  conchol- 
ogy  that  lay  so  near  us. 

Sometimes  the  trip  would  be  on  a  narrow,  wind- 
ing foot-path,  with  the  Lag^s  pony  "  Charley,"  and 
hammocks  on  men's  shoulders,  to  a  little  lake, 
o//Bol;^we,  two  miles  distant,  in  the  centre  of  the 
island,  that  empties  itself  by  two  small  streams  into 
the  sea.  Every  alternate  year  the  natives  in  the 
cool- dry  season,  when  the  water  was  low,  would 
erect  a  dam  across  the  middle  of  the  pond,  and 
bail  from  one  side  into  the  other,  catching  what 
fish  were  left  crowded  into  the  bottom  of  the  pool. 
The  intervening  year  the  almost  exterminated  fish 
were  permitted  to  spawn  again. 

Sometimes  the  excursion  was  with  horse  and 
hammock  and  hand-cart,  along  the  beach  for  four 
miles,  passing  Ugobi  on  the  south  end  and  across 
Lembwt  Creek  around  to  the  Elwe  prairie,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  island.  There  every  two  weeks, 
after  each  "  spring"  tide,  enormous  quantities  of 
shells,  principally  bivalves,  were  thrown  up  from 
the  sea. 

The  eye  was  refreshed  by  the  view  towards  the 
east :  distant  twelve  miles  northeast,  the  small 
trade-islands  Elobi ;  fifteen  miles  due  east,  the 
country  of  a  mainland  tribe,  Mbiko;  distant  eighteen 
miles  southeast,  the  wide  estuary  of  the  mouth  of 


1 64  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

the  Munda  River;  and,  dotting  the  bay  to  the 
k  south,  several  small  islands. 

Sometimes  the  excursion  (chosen  with  reference 
rather  to  missionaries  than  to  pupils)  was  to  Alongo 
school,  where  the  day  was  always  a  refreshing  one 
for  Mrs.  Nassau,  as,  with  her  friend,  Mrs.  De  Heer, 
she  could  look  with  longing  eye  north  to  the  main- 
land beyond  Cape  St.  John  ;  or  from  Alongo  pro- 
montory west  on  the  wide  sea,  restful  even  when 
restless,  and  plan — and  plan — and  plan,  even  for 
plans  that  might  never  be  accomplished,  but  which 
were  pleasant  to  plan,  just  because  they  were  plans. 
But  the  girls  felt  that  the  privilege  of  showing  out 
their  best  dresses  and  of  enjoying  the  pictures  and 
amusing  games  their  kind  nosts  provided,  was 
somewhat  marred  by  the  consciousness  that  those 
same  dresses  were  for  exhibition,  and  not  for 
romping. 

Sometimes  the  excursion  was  to  the  islet  Leva, 
one  mile  distant,  southwest  from  the  Evangasimba 
beach.  One  such  "  day  at  Leva"  was  noticeably 
happy,  marked  by  the  return  from  America  of 
Rev.  J.  L.  Mackey,  on  Wednesday,  December  14. 
Not  any  day  will  suit  for  Leva.  Qi  the  seasons, 
the  rainy  was  preferable,  because  of  the  ocean 
being  warmer  for  the  children  in  their  diving.  The 
iveck  must  be  selected  with  reference  to  the  state  of 
the  moon,  and  a  spring  tide ;  the  day  must  be 
chosen  to  suit  the  ebb  and  flow,  so  that  we  could 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    165 

go  there  with  the  ebb,  be  at  the  island  the  six  hours 
that  its  sand-banks  were  bare,  and  return  with  the 
flow,  and  have  those  intervening  six  hours  occur 
about  mid-day,  for  convenient  going  and  returning 
to  our  households. 

All  the  paraphernalia  of  a  picnic  were  prepared, 
a  reliable  crew  of  men,  a  few  boys  for  messengers, 
hatchet,  axe,  and  cutlasses  for  clearing  a  path 
through  dense,  wet  grass  and  thickets  of  the  few 
acres  on  the  top  of  the  isle,  dry  fuel  for  kindling, 
a  few  boards  for  dry  seats,  and  shawls  and  blankets 
for  covering  from  sudden  showers,  umbrellas  for 
the  sun,  the  simplest  of  dress,  a  few  pans,  etc. 

The  Mission  House  was  locked,  and  one  man 
left  on  guard.  What  a  motley  company  gathered 
on  the  beach!  —  missionaries,  in  not  their  finest 
clothes,  and  school-children,  in  positively  their 
oldest  and  most  ragged ;  the  former  prepared  for 
wet,  and  the  latter  intending  to  seek  it. 

In  the  mission  gig,  the  little  "  Draper,"  and  its 
three  oars,  entered  Mr.  Paull,  Mrs.  Clemens,  Mrs. 
McQueen,  Mrs.  Nassau  and  babe,  and  a  few  pupils. 
In  a  large  Cape  Lopez  canoe,  with  four  paddles, 
myself  and  twenty-two  children. 

Out  between  the  reefs,  and  over  the  smooth  sea, 
looking  down  into  its  shallows  to  see  the  sunlight 
shining  on  the  ocean  vegetation ;  miniature  trees 
in  the  sea-weed,  with  apparent  flowers  and  fruit  of 
endless  variety ;    fish   darting  from   the   shadows, 

15 


1 66  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

or  lying  on  the  pebbly  bottom,  among  the  colored 
stones  and  shells. 

Landed  at  the  island,  the  girls  dispersed  along 
the  reefs  to  dive  for  shell-fish,  konongo  (a  certain 
conch  gathered  in  great  quantities) ;  the  boys 
whistled  away  with  "Rover"  to  beat  the  thickets 
for  iguanas  or  squirrels;  ]\Irs.  McQueen  and  Mrs. 
Clemens  strolled  on  the  long  sand-bars  for  fresh 
shells;  Mr.  PauU  started  off  in  the  "  Draper"  for  a 
Spanish  steamer,  on  which  he  suspected  ]\Ir.  ]\Iackey 
might  be.  With  the  cutlasses  a  path  was  opened 
to  the  top  of  the  island,  where  Mrs.  Nassau  and  a 
few  of  the  little  girls  too  small  for  company  with 
the  divers  followed  to  an  open  space  under  a  large 
tree,  whose  gnarled  roots  served  as  seats,  where 
the  cool  breeze  swept  in  from  the  sea,  and  where 
baby,  safe  from  ants,  could  creep  on  the  shawl 
spread  out  on  the  ground.  At  one  side  a  bush 
spread  its  branches  arbor-like,  covered  with  white, 
star-like  flowers,  odorous  as  tuberoses. 

Match,  candle,  pine-knots,  and  dead  branches 
soon  made  two  blazing  fires,  at  one  of  which  the 
children,  pale  and  cold  from  their  prolonged  diving, 
could  bring  back  their  color,  and  put  on  the  dry, 
extra  dress  they  had  brought,  and  where  they 
could  eat  a  portion  of  their  fish  with  the  cassava 
that  had  been  brought  as  their  lunch.  At  the 
other  fire,  when  Mr.  Paull  returned  with  the  news 
that  he  had  just  landed  Mr.  Mackey  at  Evanga- 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    167 

simba,  and  when  the  ladies  returned  with  their 
treasures  of  conchology,  we  had  shell-fish, brought 
by  the  vanguard  of  the  returning  children,  roasted 
in  the  fire  on  the  shell  and  eaten  with  salt  and 
fresh  native  Cayenne  pepper-pods, plantains  roasted 
in  ashes,  chicken  browned  on  two  primitive  sticks 
before  the  fire,  a  fish  just  dripping  from  the  sea 
and  fried  on  an  axe-helve,  sandwiches,  pine-apples, 
chocolate,  and  canned  peaches  (this  last  a  gift  from 
America,  and  kept  for  special  occasions).  Hard- 
ware had  been  forgotten,  and  so,  having  only  two 
knives,  three  plates,  one  cup,  one  tumbler,  one 
mug,  one  tin,  the  children  were  imitated,  and 
fingers  did  duty. 

When  the  risen  tide  bade  return,  a  happy  (some 
of  the  children  a  tired  and  all  of  them  a  dirty)  com- 
pany filed  past  Evangasimba,  stopping  to  find  the 
capping  of  the  day's  pleasure  in  the  welcome  of  a 
missionary  brother  to  his  work,  to  which  he  had 
returned,  though  in  health  far  from  satisfactory. 

The  smallpox,  coming  from  the  upper  coasts, 
had  been  raging  on  the  entire  West  Coast  during 
1864.  It  reached  the  Gaboon,  where  there  was 
no  vaccine  matter.  Finally  the  French  authorities 
obtained  some  from  Calabar.  When  our  mail- 
boatmen  went  to  Gaboon,  in  November,  Rev. 
Wm.  Walker  vaccinated  them,  and  from  them 
was  obtained  lymph  for  Corisco.  All  the  school- 
children were  required  to  be  vaccinated;  and  daily, 


1 68  CROWNED  IN  PALM- LAND. 

for  more  than  two  weeks,  ten  or  fifteen  villagers 
came  voluntarily  for  the  operation.  No  cases  origi- 
nated on  the  island ;  and  the  disease  did  not  spread 
from  the  few  that  were  brought  there,  for  they 
were  isolated  by  their  people  in  huts  in  the  forest 
near  the  sea,  where  food  was  carried  them,  and 
where  they  bathed  themselves  alternately  in  the 
cold  ocean  and  in  Avater  heated  in  the  kettle  over 
the  fire  in  their  hut.     They  recovered. 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    HER    AUNT    MISS    M.   A.   LATTA. 

CoRisco,  W.  A.,  Dec.  16,  1S64. 

The  people  are  here  this  morning,  as  they  are 
every  day,  asking  to  be  vaccinated,  and  Dr.  Nassau 
is  busy  with  them  while  I  write.  They  say  the 
smallpox  is  on  the  island ;  and  I  suppose  it  is, — 
on  the  other  side,  some  four  miles  distant.  It  was 
at  Fernando  Po  when  we  stopped  there,  in  Sep- 
tember; but  I  would  not  write  you  about  it  until 
we  could  have  Willie  vaccinated.  The  people  have 
been  dying  over  at  one  of  the  rivers,  and  at  Gaboon, 
and  it  is  only  within  the  last  month  that  vaccine 
matter  has  reached  us.  Willie  was  vaccinated  a 
week  ago,  and  his  arm  is  a  little  sore ;  but  it  does 
not  seem  to  trouble  him.  We  thought,  at  first,  it 
would  not  take.  .  .  .  He  is  getting  along  very 
nicely;  and  I  want  some  shoes  for  him.  .  .  .  He 
is  growing  into  those  I  bought  for  him,  as  large  as 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    169 

they  looked.  ,  .  .  Mrs.  Thompson  says  that  Willie 
does  not  think  our  pantry-boy  is  neat  enough,  and 
so  he  goes  to  help  him  clean  out  the  cupboard. 
.  .  .  He  still  loves  to  be  washed,  if  you  don't  try 
to  take  tjie  dirt  off  his  face.  .  .  .  Yesterday  I  put  a 
chair  on  its  side  across  the  parlor  door  to  keep  him 
out  of  the  reception-room  with  his  clean  frock. 
What  do  you  think  he  did  ?  Crept  between  the 
feet  of  the  chair  up  towards  the  seat,  then  turned 
and  got  out  between  the  rungs.  He  can  get  up 
off  the  f^oor  and  stand  alone ;  but  "  he  spreads 
out  as  if  he  were  going  to  fly  like  a  bird,"  as  Mrs. 
Thompson  says,  and  so  he  cannot  stand  long.  .  .  . 

Mainland  work  enlisted  Mr.  PauU's  energy,  as 
much  as  it  did  Mrs.  Nassau's.  He  and  the  other 
member  of  the  mainland  committee  made  a  jour- 
ney to  the  mouth  of  the  Bonita  River  on  Decem- 
ber 23,  1864,  and  spent  all  the  next  day,  Saturday, 
in  tramping  along  the  beach  on  the  north  bank, 
and  through  the  forest  and  over  the  prairie,  look- 
ing for  a  site  for  a  prospective  station.  The  object 
of  the  journey  was  not  explained  to  the  curiously- 
eyeing  natives ;  but  they  suspected  it,  especially  as 
they  saw  the  committee's  eyes  rest,  with  satisfac- 
tion, on  the  cove  at  Mbade  Point.  We  called  the 
spot  "  Benita,"  as  that  was  the  name  which  traders 
and  natives  gave  the  region  bordering  on  the  river. 
On  returning  to  Corisco,  Mr.  Paull's  urgency  was 
15* 


I/O 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


assented  to;  and  Mrs.  Nassau's  hopes  were  de- 
ferred by  yielding  a  prior  right  which  the  Board's 
permission  had  given,  and  on  January  4,  1865, 
Mr.  Paull  was  appointed  to  Benita  and  the  entire 
charge  of  its  adjacent  work.  Mr.  Clark's  expected 
return  to  Corisco  made  this  disposition  of  force 
possible  ;  but  the  scarcity  of  money  in  the  treasury, 
and  of  food  in  the  storehouse,  would  have  made 
it  difficult  for  Mrs.  Nassau,  with  her  babe,  to  have 
gone  to  that  work  just  at  that  time, 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MRS.    REV.    W.    H.    CLARK. 

Corisco,  West  Africa, 
Jan.  18,  1865. 

It  is  a  long,  long  time  since  I  have  written  you 
anything,  although  I  should  have  written  you  from 
the  coast,  if  I  had  not  thought  Mrs.  Clemens  would 
give  all  needful  information  about  all  the  babies. 
I  ought  to  have  remembered  that  none  of  them 
were  hers ;  also,  that  she  was  probably  not  as 
much  interested  in  the  bringing  of  babies  to  Africa 
as  I  suppose  you  and  I  are. 

I  do  not  regret  having  brought  Willie.  .  .  .  Are 
you  bringing  Walter  and  Anna?  Oh,  if  you  are, 
I  hope  they  may  both  keep  well.  You  will  feel 
encouraged  if  you  find  Mr.  Hoffman's  children 
well  at  Cape  Palmas,  and  hear  that  Willie  has  been 
(not  well  all  the  time)  getting  along  very  nicely. 

Mr.  Paull  started  this  morning  for  the  mainlanfd. 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL. 


171 


but  who  goes  next  we  cannot  tell.  On  account  of 
his  new  house,  Mr.  De  Heerhas  permission  before 
us  now,  ...  I  am  quite  anxious  to  go,  but  it 
would  seem  too  bad  to  leave  Corisco  when  you 
and  the  children  get  back.  Mr.  Mackey  is  not  at 
all  strong,  and  everything  stands  as  it  is  for  the 
present,  awaiting  Mr.  Clark's  coming,  and  the 
pointings  of  Providence. 

A  second  priest  is  on  the  island,  but  I  have  not 
seen  him  yet.  The  first  has  been  very  friendly, 
but  either  his  friendliness  or  his  tomatoes  have 
given  out. 

Do  not  follow  our  example  and  borrow  of  the 
captain  (any  more  than  you  can't  help),  hoping  to 
get  gold  here  to  repay.  If  Mr.  Clark  gets  stores 
they  can  be  paid ;  but  gold,  for  personal  expenses, 
rates  as  in  America.  If  Mr.  Mackey  has  not  writ- 
ten, the  mission  want  all  the  rice  and  sugar  Mr. 
Clark  can  buy ;  and  indeed  we  are  anxious  to  have 
some  at  less  than  it  costs  in  America.  White  sugar 
is  twenty-eight  cents  per  pound,  and  the  new  rice 
thirteen  cents.  Butter  nine  dollars  a  keg.  Ham 
twenty-six  cents,  and  chickens  very  scarce.  There 
is  plenty  of  coffee  on  hand.  Get  cleaned  rice  if 
you  can ;  and  if  you  want  to  be  sure,  look  at  the 
whole  batch  ^nd  not  at  the  sample.  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son says  Cape  Palmas  would  be  the  best  place  for 
cleaned  rice,  but  it  might  be  higher  there  than  at 
same  of  the  towns  intermediate  to  Monrovia.  .  .  . 


172  CROWNED  IN  PALM- LAND. 

Tell  Mrs.  Hoffman  Willie  is  not  fat,  but  full  of 
mischief.  The  nurse  pulled  a  young  lizard  out  of 
his  mouth  one  day, — the  kitten  having  caught  one 
for  him  and  one  for  herself.  .  .  . 

MRS.    NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.    E.    NASSAU. 

CoRisco,  Wkst  Africa, 
Wed,  night,  Jan.  i8,  1865. 

To  begin  with, — I  am  certain  I  do  not  owe  you 
a  letter ;  but  I  do  not  see  that  that  makes  any 
difference  if  I  have  anything  to  say. 

On  questioning  Willie's  papa,  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  first  sentence,  I  find,  what  I  might 
have  suspected,  that  you  get  very  little  knowledge 
of  baby  through  his  letters.  Isn't  that  too  bad  ? 
"Well,"  he  says  "that  everybody  knows  th — " 
(there!  Hamill  spoiled  that  letter)  "all  babies  creep, 
and  cut  teeth,  and  begin  to  walk,  and  he  doesn't 
know  how  to  go  into  ecstasies  over  such  things." 
Still  he  seems  to  think  Willie  is  a  tolerably  fine 
child,  and  "  has  a  very  good  head."  .  .  .  He  has 
been  sick  ;  but  is  very  patient  and  generally  playful 
when  awake.  The  few  days  that  he  was  most  trou- 
blesome he  did  not  cry  much,  but- always  clung 
very  close  to  me  ;  and  as  Mrs.  Thompson  was  sick, 
too,  I  had  plenty  to  do.  The  silver  lining  of  that 
cloud  was  that  I  found  out  how  well  I  could  get 
along  even  in  a  great  emergency ;  neither  do  I 
forget  who  makes  silver  linings  to  all  clouds.  ,  .  . 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    173 

The  Lord  tried  faith.  Smallpox  continued  on 
the  island  in  sporadic  cases,  interfering  with  our 
operations  among  the  people.  Famine  came. 
Irregularity  in  the  seasons  made  failure  in  the 
sequence  of  native  gardens,  so  that  in  that  land  of 
fertility  there  actually  was  famine.  The  Lord  gave 
us  literally  day  by  day  the  "  daily"  bread  for  the 
school-children, — each  night  finishing  what  was 
bought  with  greatest  effort  from  the  entire  island  ; 
so  that  the  number  of  pupils  at  the  school  had  to 
be  reduced  by  half  The  time  gained  from  the 
reduced  school  work  was  occupied  by  the  ladies 
among  the  women  in  the  villages.  The  costly 
price  of  our  foreign  food  in  the  mission  storehouse 
would  have  prevented  its  being  used  for  the  school- 
children unless  actually  to  save  life ;  and  of  that 
foreign  food  there  was  very  little  even  for  ourselves. 
Sickness  came.  Early  in  March,  Mrs.  Nassau  had 
a  severe  fever,  so  that  Willie  had  to  be  weaned, 
and  there  was  no  proper  substitute  to  be  found  in 
the  scanty  mission  supplies.  Death  came.  Mr. 
Paull  was  stricken  at  Benita  with  malignant  fever 
on  Monday,  April  24,  came  to  Corisco  on  the  28th, 
and  died  on  Sabbath  morning.  May  14.  The 
arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark,  with  their  little 
children  Walter  and  Anna,  and  their  Liberian 
nurse  Louisa,  and  goodly  supplies  by  the  "  Grey- 
hound" on  May  18,  brought  j-elicf  but  no  help  for 
us.     For  he  had  at  once  to  step  into  Mr.  Mackey's 


174  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

work  at  Evangasimba ;  and  the  good  food  came 
t6o  late  for  our  infant's  too-hardly-rationed  frame, 
and  we  felt  it  necessary  for  him  to  go  by  the  "  Grey- 
hound" in  company  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackey  and 
Mrs.  McQueen  on  their  final  return  to  America, 
on  Saturday  night,  June  3. 


MRS.    NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.    E.    NASSAU. 

CoRisco,  W.  A., 
Monday  night,  June  19,  1865. 

This  is  my  last  letter  for  this  mail,  excepting  a 
note  to  Gaboon ;  and  I  am  not  sure  that  note  will 
be  written,  for  to-morrow  is  washing-day;  and  I 
am  sleepy. 

Mrs.  Clemens  is  boarding  with  her  sister  at 
Evangasimba,  and  I  have  charge  of  girls  out  of 
school  hours  and  in  the  evening.  I  have  changed 
the  girls'  washing-day  to  Tuesday,  and  the  water 
is  all  brought  the  night  before,  which  makes  far 
less  noise  and  confusion  than  we  had  formerly. 
With  Mrs.  Thompson's  assistance  about  the  house 
my  duties  are  far  from  arduous.  Hamill  and  I  eat 
our  meals  alone  together  for  the  first  time  since 
our  marriage.  It  would  be  more  pleasant  if  we 
could  have  baby  Willie  to  make  a  third  at  meal- 
time ;  but  we  get  along  without  him  better  than 
you  might  suppose.  To  be  sure  we  miss  him  every 
day  and  almost  every  hour  of  the  day,  but  there 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    175 

is  enough  to  do  to  keep  hands  and  often  thoughts 
engaged ;  and  then  we  know  we  acted  as  God's 
providence  seemed  to  direct. 

My  Httle  Benga  children  are  a  comfort  to  me, 
although  they  cannot  take  up  much  of  the  vacant 
space  in  my  heart.  I  always  try  to  think  cheer- 
fully of  our  absent  little  one,  and  I  parted  from 
him  on  the  beach  the  evening  his  father  took  him 
on  board  without  a  tear-drop.  Mrs.  Thompson 
went  on  board  too,  but  I  brought  my  colored 
family  back  to  the  house  to  get  their  supper. 
Hamill  had  the  key  in  his  pocket,  and  I  was 
wondering  what  we  should  do  for  the  girls'  me- 
vdndd,  when  one  of  them  came  to  tell  me  that 
there  was  some  in  the  boys'  house,  which  they 
had  been  sent  out  to  buy  for  the  next  day.  "  How 
providential,"  I  thought,  and  I  told  them  to  take 
it,  thinking  what  was  in  the  house  would  do  as 
well  for  the  next  day — Sabbath.  The  providence 
did  not  appear  quite  so  striking  when  Hamill 
came  back,  and  found  that  I  had  given  to  the 
girls  the  food  which  the  boys  had  been  all  after- 
noon hunting  for  themselves — their  Sabbath  sup- 
ply. The  girls  were  to  have  had  plantains  for 
supper;  but  it  did  not  make  any  difference,  for  we 
had  plantains  enough  to  feed  the  boys  and  girls 
the  next  day.  The  boys  did  not  care,  for  they 
prefer  plantains. 

A  few  hours  after  all  had  gone  off  to  the  ship, 


176  CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 

our  mail  came  from  Gaboon.  I  found  from  my 
letters  that  Uncle  William  would  probably  go 
South  the  coming  winter;  and  Hamill  does  not 
want  Willie  down  there.  So  the  next  question  is, 
Will  Aunt  Lizzie  take  the  boy  ?..•.!  would  be 
glad  to  have  my  little  bird  find  so  pleasant  a  home. 
.  .  .  Poor  Mr.  Paull !  or  rather,  poor  those  who 
remain  behind!  We  did  depend  on  him  so  much 
to  carry  forward  the  work  on  the  mainland ;  and 
now  he  is  gone.  Hamill  will  ask  permission,  at 
the  next  mission-meeting,  to  go  to  Benita;  and 
it  is  barely  possible  we  may  get  off  in  August. 
...  I  am  anxious  to  go,  and  yet  I  have  never 
been  more  pleasantly  situated  on  Corisco.  .  .  . 

MRS.  NASSAU  TO  HER  SISTER-IN-LAW,  MISS  I.  A.  NASSAU. 

Corisco,  West  Africa, 
Tues.,  June  20,  1865. 

You  are  so  good  in  writing  us  every  month, 
and  giving  us  so  many  items  of  interest,  that  I  ^m 
sorry  to  see  an  envelope  go  without  a  line  to  you. 
If  baby  were  here,  however,  the  probabilities  are 
that  I  would  scarcely  get  a  letter  of  tolerable 
length  written  to  my  aunts. 

It  is  washing  morning,  and  I  am  seated  with  my 
writing  on  a  small  platform  under  the  house,  while 
at  the  same  time  I  am  directing  the  children  about 
under-garments,  and  dresses,  soap  and  water,  etc. 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    177 

.  .  .  The  fruits,  spices,  and  extracts,  all  came  in 
fine  order,  and  we  opened  two  jars  of  the  whole 
peaches  the  day  before  the  ship  left,  when  all  the 
missionaries  and  ship's  company  dined  here.  .  .  , 


MRS.  NASSAU  TO  THE  MISSES  M.  AND  M.  A.  LATTA. 

CoRisco,  West  Africa, 
Mond.,  July  17,  1865. 

.  .  .  Perhaps  the  "  Greyhound"  may  have  a  long 
voyage ;  in  which  case  we  cannot  hear  from  the 
little  traveler  until  the  ist  of  November. 

I  wonder  where  you  all  are  during  this  warm 
weather  of  July,  and  where  you  expect  the  winter 
to  find  you  ? 

We  have  had  the  coldest  weather  I  ever  felt  on 
Corisco  since  the  beginning  of  this  dry  season,  and 
have  had  a  fire  almost  every  day  this  month. 
Sometimes  morning  and  evening,  and  occasion- 
ally a  fire  kept  up  throughout  the  day.  I  put  on 
last  week  the  nice,  warm,  long-sleeved  flannels 
sent  out  two  years  ago.  They  are  a  great  comfort 
now,  although  during  the  heat  of  the  rainy  season 
I  sometimes  wondered  why  I  had  ordered  such 
warm  ones.  I  have  not  cut  an  inch  off  the  sleeves. 
But  the  sun  has  come  out  so  brightly  this  after- 
noon that  I  feel  fully  warm  enough. 

The  dark  wrapper  that  was  fitted  and  nearly 
finished  in  Philadelphia  was  completed  for  me  by 

16 


178  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Mrs.  McQueen  before  she  left.  I  wear  it  to  church 
ahiiost  every  Sabbath,  and  find  it  very  convenient 
to  sHp  on  when  any  stranger  calls  unexpectedly. 
I  suppose  it  must  make  me  look  very  youthful,  for 
one  of  the  old  captains  reported  at  Elobi  that  Mrs. 
Nassau  was  about  twenty,  and  Mrs.  De  Hear 
about  nineteen  or  twenty.  I  was  advising  a  young 
sprig  of  a  fellow  to  go  back  to  England,  and  said 
his  parents  ought  to  keep  him  there,  that  he  was 
too  young  for  Africa.  He  thought  himself  as  old 
as  I  was.  And  that  I  contradicted  by  a  statement 
of  my   years,    when    he   told    me   what    Captain 

H had  said.    Mrs.  De  Heer  and  I  both  agreed 

that  they  were  poor  judges  of  ages  at  Elobi,  and 
that  the  young  chap  was  wanting  in  his  upper 
story.  But  all  the  rest  had  the  same  opinion  of 
him.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Ogden  wrote  that  she  hoped  to  be 
in  Corisco  before  the  end  of  the  year,  and  it  is 
possible  she  may  be  coming  on  the  "  Thomas 
Pope ;"  but  we  have  heard  nothing  that  is  certain. 
I  do  hope  she  will  come. 

My  health  is  very  good,  but  Mrs.  Clemens  is 
not  strong,  or  at  least  she  is  far  from  well.  Still, 
even  when  well,  I  am  not  much  stronger  than 
Mrs.  Clemens  partly  sick,  and  if  it  were  not  for 
Mrs.  Thompson  I  could  not  get  along  as  easily  as 
I  do.  I  have  all  the  care  of  the  children  out  of 
school  and  on  the  Sabbath,  and  have  not  whipped 
one  since  Mrs.  Clemens  left.     I  spanked  one  yes- 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL. 


179 


terday  for  begging  a  very  little  girl  to  divide  her 
plantain  with  her, — the  one  I  spanked  is  a  great 
beggar, — but  I  fear  I  hurt  my  hand  as  much  as 
the  part  to  which  it  was  applied. 

We  have  two  new  children — little  bits  of  things. 
The  smallest  has  taken  a  great  fancy  to  me,  but 
thinks  she  is  not  able  to  love  her  mother  too.  She 
will  soon  get  over  that,  and  be  as  fond  of  town  as 
any  of  them.  Mrs.  Clemens  comes  up  once  a  day 
for  three  hours ;  four  afternoons  she  teaches  sew- 
ing, one  morning  and  one  afternoon  she  teaches 
school.  .  .  . 

Tuesday  afternoon,  July  i"^. —  .  .  .  Another  new 
scholar  came  to-day,  and  she  makes  the  sixteenth 
on  the  premises ;  two  are  in  town  sick,  who  will 
be  returned  as  soon  as  they  are  well.  The  new 
arrival  seems  to  be  about  eight  or  nine, — a  very 
respectable  age  to  commence  her  training. 

Several  months  ago  Mrs.  Clemens  brought  from 
Magani  town  a  little  girl  that  used  to  live  with  her 
at  Alongo ;  and  when  she  was  expecting  to  go  to 
Evangasimba,  she  promised  the  child,  Esongi,  that 
she  should  go,  too.  When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
came  they  were  so  opposed  to  having  girls,  that 
Mrs.  Clemens  took  with  her  only  Maria,  a  child 
Mr.  Clemens  had  redeemed  from  being  put  to 
death  as  a  witch.  Esongi  was  quite  troublesome 
after  Mrs.  Clemens  left,  until  she  found  she  was 
certainly  to  remain  with  us  ;  and  from  that  time  she 


l8o  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

was  as  pleasant  as  any  of  them.  Wlien  she  went 
to  town  in  vacation  she  did  not  return  at  the  proper 
time ;  and  after  a  couple  of  weeks  had  passed  Dr. 
Nassau  went  to  see  her  father.  He  said  the  child 
should  come  back, — he  did  not  want  her  in  town, 
— and  when  we  got  her  again  we  must  keep  her  all 
the  time.  She  came  that  evening,  Saturday,  and 
was  reproved  in  the  presence  of  the  others  for  not 
coming  back.  (She  had  told  the  other  children, 
when  vacation  came,  that  she  meant  to  stay  in 
town,  because  "  Mamma  Clemens  had  left  her 
here.")  Monday  morning  Esongi  ran  away,  and 
told  in  town  that  she  had  been  "  whipped"  here. 
Hamill  sent  word  to  her  father  to  keep  his  child  or 
return  her,  just  as  he  pleased;  but,  if  she  came 
back,  she  must  come  that  very  day.  The  mother 
brought  her  in  the  afternoon,  with  a  curious  story 
for  excuse :  "  White  people  and  Benga  people  are 
different.  If  a  person  living  at  one  place  goes  to 
another  place  to  take  something  belonging  to  her, 
Benga  people  call  it  '  going  to  get  something,' 
but  white  people  call  it  'running  away,'"  ...  I  do 
not  believe  she  w^ill  give  any  more  trouble,  now 
that  she  sees  her  father  is  on  our  side.  She  is  really 
a  nice  child. 

Now  that  Willie  is  away,  you  see  I  must  write 
about  my  colored  children.  .  .  . 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    i8i 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  E.   NASSAU. 

CoRisco,  W.  A., 
July  l8,  1865,  Tuesday  night. 

Our  school  is  increasing;  and  this  is  wash-day; 
so,  to-night  I  am  tired,  for  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
children  had  more  trouble  than  usual  in  getting 
the  dirt  out  of  their  garments.  .  .  .  Hamill  and 
I  sent  invitations  to  a  young  missionary  couple, 
who  are  visiting  at  Gaboon,  to  come  up  to  Corisco 
in  the  mail-boat;  but  we  cannot  get  answers  until 
the  boat  returns  with  them  or  their  regrets.  The 
room  which  MrS.Clemens  occupied  we  have  now 
for  a  spare-room,  but  its  only  furniture  is  a  bed- 
stead and  mattress,  and  a  large  pine  wardrobe  con- 
taining the  children's  clothes.  We  have  not  been 
able  to  get  mats  yet,  and  shall  take  up  the  carpet 
from  our  room,  to  put  it  down  temporarily.  A 
semi-circular  board  can  be  screwed  up  for  a  wash- 
stand,  and  curtained  around,  and  a  bureau  from 
the  dining-room,  where  we  have  two.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Edgerley  are  Scotch  missionaries  from  Cala- 
bar, both  in  delicate  health.  Mrs.  Walker  says 
they  are  charming. 

The  dresses  of  the  Lawrenceville  box  have  not 
all  been  given  out.  It  is  very  rarely,  if  ever,  that 
the  children  have  any  rips  to  mend  in  them ;  but, 
of  course,  they  will  wear  out  in  time.  The  little 
plain-bordered  gingham  dresses  for  small  children 

{6* 


1 82  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

are  the  prettiest-fitting,  to  my  eye;  but  the  colors 
of  the  pink  gingham  are  the  most  admired.  .  .  . 
I  am  writing  on  the  supposition  that  Wilhe  is  to  be 
with  you  ;  still,  everything  is  uncertain.  It  is  a 
month  and  a  half  since  he  left,  and  it  will  be  two 
or  three  months  before  we  can  hear;  but  time 
passes  quickly  in  Africa.  .  .  . 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    THE    REV.  W.  W.  LATTA. 

CoRisco,  W.  A.,  July  i8,  1865. 

It  is  decided  that  we  do  not  go  to  the  mainland 
for  the  present,  but  Dr.  Nassau  hopes  that  we  may 
get  off  in  the  "  middle  dries,"  next  January.  If 
more  help  arrives  by  that  time,  I  suppose  we  may, 
but  a  slight  fever  of  Mr.  De  Heer,  and  a  danger- 
ous one  of  Mr.  Clark,  seemed  to  prove  that  the 
mission  could  not  do  without  my  husband's  pres- 
ence just  now.  It  was  a  great  disappointment  to 
us  both,  for  as  our  own  health  is  pretty  good  now, 
we  wanted  to  make  a  beginning  before  the  rains 
should  commence. 

Have  you  heard  anything  of  Mrs.  Thompson's 
husband  yet?  It  would  be  a  satisfaction  even  to 
hear  that  he  is  dead,  as  she  has  had  no  letters  for 
four  years.  I  think,  too,  she  has  some  notion  of 
marrying  on  her  return  to  Monrovia,  as  she  has 
had  several  offers.  I  suppose  there  is  scarcely  an- 
other woman  in  Liberia  who  would  not  have  been 
married  before  this  if  in  her  circumstances.     The 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    183 

legislature  of  that  Republic  divorced  several  whose 
husbands  were  in  America,  and  who  they  knew 
were  living,  after  a  very  short  separation.  Divorces 
have  been  very  frequent  there ;  but  I  hear  that 
more  stringent  laws  have  been  made  lately.  One 
physician  in  Monrovia  courted  the  wife  of  another 
man  while  his  own  wife,  a  lovely  Christian,  was  on 
her  sick-bed.  When  his  wife  died,  he  supplied  the 
other  woman  with  money  to  procure  a  divorce  from 
her  husband,  and  in  a  week  after  the  divorce  was 
granted  they  were  married.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  but  they  had  the  grace 
to  turn  her  out.  .  ,  .  Dr.  Loomis  sent  by  the 
"  Greyhound"  some  Roman  candles,  fire-crackers, 
and  torpedoes,  and  Fourth  of  July  night  we  had  a 
grand  (?)  display  of  fire-works.  The  people  had 
never  seen  anything  of  the  kind  before,  and  were 
considerably  astonished,  as  well  as  some  frightened. 
The  torpedoes  gave  about  as  much  amusement  as 
anything.  We  made  some  fire-balls  here,  and, 
although  they  went  out  every  few  seconds,  the 
boys  would  run  and  pitch  them,  screaming  with 
delight.  .  .  . 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MISS   J.  W.  BAIRD. 

CORISCO,  W.  A.,  Aug.  18,  1865. 

We  have  no  Jennie  Baird  in  school  of  whom  to 
write  to  you,  for  the  second  has  followed — or  has 
been  made  to  follow — in  the  footsteps  of  her  pre- 


1 84  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

decessor,  and  is  at  present  the  little  wife  of  a  poly- 
gamist.  And  the  next  pretty  child  we  may  select 
to  bear  a  name,  respected  by  us  all,  might  turn  out 
just  the  same  for  aught  that  we  can  tell. 

Jennie  did  not  want  to  go,  and  Mrs.  Clemens 
told  the  man  that  the  child  could  not  love  him. 

He  answered,  "  She  would  love  him  now  as  a 
father,  and  after  she  became  a  woman  she  would 
love  him  as  a  husband."  (I  hope  none  of  your 
young  friends  marry  with  the  expectation  of  learn- 
ing to  love  their  husbands  after  marriage.)  Now 
I  know  you  will  be  disappointed,  and  the  young 
ladies,  too, — so  are  we, — for  the  child  was  one  of 
the  nicest  in  the  school ;  had  not  a  single  promi- 
nent fault  I  can  recall.  If  we  change  our  plan, 
and  take  an  ugly,  stupid  one,  it  might  be  just  the 
same ;  for  a  one-eyed,  dull  scholar,  who  lately  left 
us,  we  understand,  was  engaged  to  a  man  with 
several  wives.  Some  persons  think  the  girls' 
school  a  very  unpromising  field  of  labor;  but  I 
suppose  their  tuition  is  included  in  the  great  com- 
mand as  much  as  any. 

Although  I  like  this  school  very  much,  there  is 
one  station  to  which  Dr.  Nassau  and  I  are  very 
anxious  to  be  sent,  that  is  Bonita,  the  place  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  Paull.  But  we  must  stay  on  Corisco 
until  other  help  comes,  and  we  hear  of  none  to 
join  us. 

Was  not  Mr.  PauU's  death  a  great  shock  to  you 


A  MOTHER.— 2^ ETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.     185 

all  ?  It  was  a  heavy  stroke  to  all  our  little  band, 
for  he  seemed  to  be  doing  so  useful  a  work  and 
doing  it  so  nobly.  We  felt  it  must  not  be,  that 
God  surely  would  not  take  him ;  but  He  who 
chastens  knows  best  for  us  all,  and  He  chastens  in 
love.  We  cannot  always  see  that,  and  yet  in  our 
hearts  as  Christians  we  believe  it.  He  was  my 
husband's  dearest  friend  in  the  mission-field. 

Your  letter  came  while  Mr.  Paull  lay  ill,  and  I 
felt  as  though  I  wanted  to  answer  it  immediately ; 
but  we  were  busy  then,  and  were  expecting  every 
week  the  ship  that  would  take  three  of  our  number 
to  America,  and  with  them  our  dear  little  boy.  .  .  . 

Can  you  not  try  to  persuade  some  of  your 
student  friends  that  it  is  their  duty  to  come  to 
Africa?  I  believe  some  gentlemen  hesitate  be- 
cause they  think  the  climate  so  fatal  to  ladies ;  but 
the  ladies  themselves  have  courage  enough.  .  .  . 
My  little  Willie  had  occasional  fevers,  but  his 
severest  illness  was  caused  by  convulsions  in  teeth- 
ing. .  .  .  Please  do  not  give  up  our  Corisco  girls 
yet,  and  may  God  bless  your  labors  of  love. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

Corisco,  W.  A.,  Sept.  18,  1865. 

I  have  a  letter  ready  for  sister  Lizzie,  of  Warsaw, 
and  I  am  sure  after  reading  it  she  will  not  be  so 
much  afraid  of  writing  to  missionaries  as  she  pro- 


1 86  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

fessed  herself  in  a  letter  received  a  couple  of 
months  ago.  .  .  .  We  intend  giving  our  children 
two  weeks'  vacation  instead  of  one,  and  the  vaca- 
tion begins  next  week.  If  we  get  permission  to  go 
to  Benita,  the  girls  will  not  be  back  again,  except 
a  few  of  the  larger  ones,  to  help  us  get  things  in 
order  preparatory  to  starting.  Indeed,  though,  I 
do  not  see  much  use  in  clearing  up  floors  for  the 
rats  to  scamper  over. 

Mrs.  Clemens  thinks  herself  unable  to  take 
charge  of  this  station  alone.  She  went  to  Gaboon 
last  week  in  company  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bushnell, 
who  had  been  visiting  on  Corisco.  I  trust  she 
may  return  with  improved  health,  for  she  was 
looking  very  badly,  and  has  a  troublesome  cough. 
The  cold  was  taken  just  before  leaving  America, 
and  has  never  been  cured.  In  her  absence  I  at- 
tend to  all  her  duties,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  girls' 
school.  She  has  only  the  sewing  now,  and  teaches 
two  half-days  in  the  week.  I  get  along  a  great 
deal  better  than  I  expected ;  but  she  cut  out  most 
of  the  work  before  she  left.  I  have  told  the 
children  they  should  not  go  to  their  homes  until 
all  the  sewing  is  done,  so  they  are  working  very 
industriously.  .  .  .  And  kiss  for  me  my  baby  boy. 

The  next  three  weeks  were  busy,  crowded  weeks. 
The  school-children  were  given  their  vacation  the 
next  Monday,  September  25,  and  were  not  recalled 


A  MOTHER.— RETURN  TO  THE  SCHOOL.    187 

for  another  session.  It  proved  to  be  the  beginning 
of  the  final  abandonment  of  the  school.  On  the 
26th,  Mrs.  Nassau  accompanied  me  on  a  business 
boat-trip  to  Elobi  Islands,  taking  that  opportunity 
of  saying  good-by  to  them  on  what  was  her  first 
visit  there,  and  returned  on  the  27th,  The  28th 
was  occupied  by  a  good-by  visit  to  her  friend  Mrs. 
De  Heer,  at  Alongo.  Then  came  the  gathering  of 
native  church  members  on  Friday  the  29th,  for  the 
preparatory  services,  and  the  communion  Sabbath, 
October  i.  And  after  the  annual  meeting,  on 
Wednesday,  October  4,  there  were  two  weeks  of 
packing,  that  kept  us  from  grieving  too  much  over 
the  destruction  of  a  home  that  had  been  intensely 
happy,  and  at  times  intensely  sad,  and  which  we 
would  have  rejoiced  to  have  seen  saved  from  the 
ruin  that  our  going  brought  on  it. 

The  last  acts  of  putting  to  rights  and  under  lock 
and  key  were  done  at  a  weary  hour  often  at  night 
of  October  16,  1865,  at  the  close  of  a  weary  day  of 
farewells.  The  children,  weeping  to  part  with  a 
teacher  to  whom  they  had  fondly  clung,  had 
scattered  to  their  heathen  homes;  and  the  Maluku 
school  was  closed. 

"  Content,  nay  glad,  to  toil  and   climb,  though    oftentimes  op- 
pressed, 
Since  she  was  in  the  path  that  led  to  victoiy  and  rest," 


1 88  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

PIONEERING. 
1865,  1866.     Bonita. 

♦'  When  late  at  night  my  rest  I  take, 
When  early  in  the  morn  I  wake, 

Halting  or  on  my  way ; 
In  hours  of  weakness  or  in  bonds, 
When  vexed  with  fears  my  heart  desponds. 

His  promise  is  my  stay." 

While  awaiting  the  annual  Mission-meeting  of 
October,  1865,  to  obtain  formal  permission  to  as- 
sume Mr.  PauU's  work  at  the  Bonita  River,  final 
assent  to  which  had  been  given  by  the  other  two 
members  of  the  mission  in  September,  prepara- 
tions were  being  quietly  made  for  "the  journey  to 
Kombe."  But  about  it, — until  information  could 
publicly  be  given  to  the  Corisco  natives, — instead 
of  much  talking  there  was  a  good  deal  of  writing 
and  thinking. 

Mrs.  Nassau  thus  thinking,  and  writing  to  Amer- 
ica on  September  18,  said, — 

"This  is  gardening-time, but  Hamill  is  not  doing 
anything  towards  the  raising  of  vegetables  at  Ma- 


PIONEERING.  189 

luku  this  year.  All  our  thoughts  and  plans  go 
forward  to  Bonita ;  and  to-night  Ham  ill  planted 
some  orange-seeds  in  little  boxes  to  take  up  with 
us.  Instead  of  taking  the  seeds  out  as  usual,  he 
cut  the  orange  into  four  or  five  pieces,  and  buried 
all  beneath  the  earth. 

"We  will  not  have  much  of  a  garden  on  the 
mainland  the  first  year,  as  there  will  not  be  much 
time  to  attend  to  it.  I  am  promised,  though,  an 
occasional  monkey-steak;  and,  when  I  have  tasted 
one,  will  send  you  word  whether  they  are  as  palata- 
ble as  report  says.  Mr.  Preston,  I  believe,  has  eaten 
them ;  and,  once,  a  still  stronger  dish.  He  and 
another  missionary  were  dining  with  a  native  chief, 
and,  being  very  hungry,  partook  largely  of  some 
kind  of '  fish,'  but  the  chief  could  not  tell  its  English 
name.  The  meat  was  so  mixed  up  with  some  other 
article  that  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  any 
parts  ;  but,  after  the  meal  was  over,  their  host  took 
out  the  two  visitors  and  pointed  to  some  tadpoles 
in  a  pond,  as  \}i\Q.  fish  they  had  partaken  of. 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Preston  know  something  of  what 
privations  are  in  missionary  life.  They  once  lived 
for  two  weeks  on  parched  corn,  she  told  us  on  the 
'  Greyhound.'  Mr.  De  Heer  said,  '  That  was  noble, 
Mrs.  Preston.*  But  she  laughingly  replied,  'There 
isn't  anything  noble  in  it,  Mr.  De  Heer ;  we  couldn't 
get  anything  else,  or  we  wouldn't  have  done  it.' 

"  Leopards,  elephants,  and  deer  are  plentiful  on 
17 


190 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


the  mainland, — at  all  events,  not  scarce.  One  of 
our  young  men  frightened  Mrs.  Thompson  by  tell- 
ing her  tht  leopards  walked  around  in  flocks,  like 
sheep.  I  told  her  that  I  didn't  believe  it;  but,  as 
Hamill  reminded  me  that  '  flocks'  of  sheep  here 
usually  numbered  but  three  or  four,  I  suppose  it  is 
very  possible.  The  Gaboon  missionaries  never  go 
out  of  the  house  after  dark  without  a  light ;  and  we 
shall  have  to  use  the  same  precaution,-^that  is  all. 
"  For  my  part,  I  stand  more  in  dread  of  centi- 
pedes than  of  leopards ;  and  white  ants  will  prob- 
ably give  us  more  trouble  than  either." 

Mrs.  Nassau's  journey  to  her  new  and  mainland 
home  was  made  on  October  17,  across  Corisco 
Bay,  seventeen  miles  north  to  Cape  St.  John,  and 
thence  thirty-six  miles  farther,  following  the  line 
of  the  coast,  to  the  Bonita  River.  Mr.  Paull's 
house  stood  on  a  bluff  of  almost  pure  sand,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  just  at  its  mouth,  the  Point 
Mbade  of  the  bluff  having  a  beautiful  cove  of  the 
river  on  one  side,  a  few  hundred  feet  from  the  front 
of  the  house,  and  the  ocean  in  the  rear  a  few  hun- 
dred yards.  On  the  arc  of  the  cove  were  native 
villages,  Upwanjo  ;  near  by,  northward,  Haia ;  two 
miles  farther,  Paka,  the  seat  of  "  King"  Mango ; 
and  five  miles,  Meduma.  Two  and  a  half  miles 
southward,  across  the  river,  at  Mbini  Point,  was  the 
trading-house  of  a  young  English  clerk,  an  agent, 


PIONEERING.  1 9 1 

or  "  factor,"  and,  therefore,  it  is  called  a  "  factory." 
Four  miles  across,  on  the  coast,  toward  the  south- 
west, were  two  other  factories,  an  English  and  a 
Spanish.  These  three  foreigners,  with  one  living 
twenty-three  miles  north  at  Bata,  were  our  nearest 
white  neighbors  short  of  Corisco,  distant  fifty-two 
miles. 

After  a  week  of  confusion  in  her  first  entrance 
to  her  new  home,  Mrs.  Nassau,  writing  on  Monday, 
October  23.  describes  to  her  uncle  and  aunts  her 
journey  thither : — 

"  I  closed  my  last  letter  to  you  a  week  ago  to- 
day; and  the  next  morning,  Tuesday,  October  17, 
we  started  for  the  Bonita. 

"  We  had  packed  up  all  our  last  things  after 
breakfast,  Monday  morning,  and  took  the  rest  of 
our  meals  at  Evangasimba,  sleeping  there  the  last 
night  of  our  stay  on  Corisco,  It  was  a  great  com- 
fort to  me  that  Anna  Clark  was  better  before  we 
left ;  her  fever  seemed  very  persistent,  but  finally 
yielded  to  quinine.  She  is  a  dear  little  baby,  and 
was  growing  so  nicely  before  her  teeth  brought  on 
such  a  severe  fever;  of  course,  Africa  made  it 
worse  than  it  would  otherwise  have  been. 

"  Our  first  moving  up  here  comprised  only  such 
a  part  of  our  household  goods  as  could  be  brought 
in  one  large  surf-boat,  the  '  Manji.'  Dr.  Nassau 
and  I,  with  Mrs.  Thompson  and  two  children,  Julia 


192  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

and  Mary  Ann,  with  four  oarsmen,  came  in  the 
small  sail-boat,  the  '  Charlotte  Draper.'  It  was 
named  for  a  colored  woman  in  Baltimore,  who 
donated  the  funds  for  its  purchase  ;  and  I  think  it 
was  a  present  to  Mr.  Mackey.  It  is  a  very  useful 
little  boat,  but  not  fitted  for  sea-voyages,  except 
in  pleasant  weather.  We  chose  to  come  in  the 
small  boat,  fearing  the  wind  might  fail,  and  know- 
ing the  '  Manji'  would  be  difficult  to  row. 

"  We  had  a  good  many  odds  and  ends  with  us, 
and  not  much  spare  room.  The  large  boat  con- 
tained a  half-barrel  of  flour,  a  corn-mill,  a  small 
stove,  a  box  with  folding-chairs  (wedding  presents 
from  Lawrenceville),  and  our  clothing  stowed 
around  the  chairs.  There  was  also  a  box  contain- 
ing Mrs.  Thompson's  bedding  and  clothing ;  a 
chest  with  our  bed-clothing,  pillows,  kerosene 
lamp,  and  patent  iron;  a  chest  of  tools,  in  which 
was  stowed  three  pieces  of  stove-pipe.  In  the  litttle 
boat  was  Dr.  Nassau's  single  mattress,  for  us  to 
sleep  on  up  here ;  a  roll  of  oil-cloth  from  the 
storehouse ;  and  a  tub  containing  a  bakeoven, 
spider,  and  several  pots.  I  cannot  enumerate  all 
the  small  things  in  either  boat ;  but  our  crockery, 
cooking-stove,  and  rice  had  to  be  left  behind.  The 
largest  chest  of  all  I  forgot,  —  containing  cloth, 
knives,  pipes,  tumblers,  soap,  beads,  shirts,  hats, 
etc.,  for  our  trade  with  the  natives.  Our  '  trade' 
means  buying  of  food  and  building  materials,  and 


PIONEERING. 


193 


paying  workmen  employed  by  the  mission.  Dr. 
Nassau  has  also  the  out-stations  under  his  charge, 
and  the  Scripture-readers  come  to  him  for  their 
monthly  pay. 

"We  left  Corisco  between  9  a.m.  and  10  a.m.  with 
a  jTair  wind,  but  we  soon  lost  part  of  it  and  made 
rather  slow  progress  all  day.  Part  of  the  after- 
noon and  evening  the  men  were  obliged  to  row, 
and  we  congratulated  ourselves  that  we  were  not 
in  the  big  boat,  thinking  it  would  stop  after  night 
at  some  of  the  towns  along  shore.  We  were  in 
sight  of  land  all  the  way.  No  one  was  much  sea- 
sick, except  Mrs.  Thompson ;  and  Hamill  and  I 
tried  several  times  to  eat  of  the  supplies  Mrs. 
Clark  and  Mrs.  De  Heer  had  provided,  but  the 
food  did  not  go  down  well. 

"  We  reached  our  new  home  about  3  o'clock 
Wednesday  morning,  and,  although  we  were  out 
some  eighteen  hours  in  the  rainy  season,  there  had 
not  rain  enough  fallen  to  wet  us.  The  big  boat 
was  here  several  hours  before  us,  their  large  sail 
having  caught  the  wind  better  than  ours.  A  very 
few  of  the  natives  met  us  on  the  beach,  and  we 
were  carried  on  shore  and  climbed  up  a  short, 
steep  path  to  the  house. 

"Day-dawn  was  creeping  in  through  all  the 
crevices  of  our  bamboo  house  when  we  threw  our- 
selves on  a  hastily-made  bed  to  try  and  rest  our 
weary  limbs.  First,  we  had  partaken  of  a  little 
17* 


194 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


food,  and  Dr.  Nassau  had  offered  up  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving  to  the  God  who  had  brought  us  in 
safety  to  our  new  home  on  the  mainland.  Mr. 
Paull's  bedstead  was  in  the  study,  on  which  we 
slept."  .  .  . 

BONITA   MISSION-HOUSE,   Oct.  i8,  1865. 
N. 


In  Mr.  Paull's  house,  as  entered  that  night,  the 
study  was  the  only  completed  room.  The  Ikenga 
was  floored  and  enclosed,  but  not  entirely  doored. 
The  floors,  partitions,  doors,  and  windows  of  the 
other  half  were  yet  to  be  made. 

The  voices  of  the  natives  crowding  about  the 
front  door  awoke  us  early.  After  prayers  and  the 
buying  of  provisions,  dried  corn,  cassava,  and 
plantains,  a  young  lad,  Ijabi  (who  had  been  Mr. 


PIONEERING.  195 

Paull's  table-boy,  and  afterwards  had  gone  to 
Corisco  to  Alongo  school,  but  had  left  there  sick), 
presented  himself,  and,  without  ceremony  of  en- 
gagement, asked  what  he  should  cook  for  break- 
fast. Other  lads,  and  one  girl,  Kove,  who  had 
been  in  Corisco  schools,  were  at  once  at  home 
with  us,  useful  in  their  knowledge  of  our  ways, 
and  helpful  as  pioneers  to  the  hearts  of  their  peo- 
ple. Crowds  of  people  coming  and  saluting  us  as 
guests  of  the  tribe.  Compacts  of  friendship,  from 
the  women  to  Mrs.  Nassau,  and  from  the  men  to 
myself,  by  the  "  dash"  (present)  of  a  chicken,  or 
plantain  bunch,  or  string  of  fish.  Meat  was  in 
plenty,  and  plantains  rotted  for  abundance. 

That  same  Wednesday  in  the  afternoon  I  began 
flooring  a  bed-room  with  some  thirty  pine  boards 
that  had  been  sent  from  Corisco  a  week  before  we 
came,  and  the  work  was  pressed  every  day  till 
completion.  The  "Manji"  was  sent  back  to  Co- 
risco, and  the  "  Draper"  retained  for  mainland 
service.  On  Thursday  the  19th,  Maclachlan,  the 
young  English  trader  from  Mbini,  called  to  wel- 
come us.  On  Friday  evening  a  catechumen  in- 
quiry class  was  organized,  that  since  has  never 
failed  to  meet  weekly,  nor  at  any  time  has  had 
less  than  three  members.  And  Mrs.  Nassau  com- 
menced an  evening  school  for  adults  and  children, 
whom  she  taught  while  sitting  sewing  in  the 
Ikenga  with  Mrs.  Thompson ;    this  continued  for 


196  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

weeks,  until  the  completion  and  arrangement  of  the 
house  gave  time  and  place  for  school  in  daylight. 

On  Saturday,  21st,  the  old  King  Mango  and 
other  chief  men  came,  with  their  duplicate  copy 
of  Mr.  Paull's  formal  deed  of  the  mission  grounds, 
as  sign  of  the  compact  between  them  and  myself 
as  his  successor,  to  arrange  according  to  custom  a 
schedule  of  prices  and  wages.  Naturally,  their 
cupidity  made  an  effort  to  advance  on  what  had 
been  current  prices,  taking  advantage  of  my  sup- 
posed ignorance  as  a  stranger.  But  the  young 
men  frowned  down  the  attempt,  and  Mr.  Paull's 
list  of  prices  being  produced,  it  was  accepted  by 
them,  and  they  dispersed  harmoniously. 

On  Sabbath  morning,  22d,  the  house  was  densely 
crowded.  On  Tuesday,  24th,  came  another  mis- 
sion-boat, the  "  Dispatch,"  from  Mr.  Clark,  with 
welcome  additions  of  food  and  furniture. 

MRS.    NASSAU   TO    MRS.    REV.    W.    H.    CLARK. 

BoNiTA,  Oct.  20,  1865. 

This  is  Friday  afternoon,  and  I  have  just  come 
from  town,  where  I  went  to  see  two  of  my  friends 
and  to  pay  them  for  their  "  dashes"  and  plantains. 
Another  plantain  came  this  afternoon,  and  Dr. 
Nassau  has  had  a  chicken  and  fish  "  dashed"  him. 

This  morning  Mrs.  Thompson,  Kove,  and  my 
two   girls  washed  up  the   soiled    clothes,  and   I 


PIONEERING.  197 

cooked  dinner  with  Ijabi's  assistance.  In  the  first 
place,  my  assistant  killed  the  chicken,  and  I 
opened  it.  He  took  out  the  insides,  and  I  washed, 
stuffed  it,  and  put  it  in  a  pan  to  go  in  the  Dutch 
oven.  I  also  had  hominy  ground;  but,  first  of 
all,  made  custard.  Just  as  we  commenced  our 
dinner,  some  one  brought  a  bowl  full  of  tomatoes; 
so  I  pared  them,  and  put  them  on  to  stew.  When 
the  dinner  was  nearly  done,  a  man  brought  some 
potatoes  to  sell,  and  I  must  run  in  the  house 
to  get  the  pay.  Well,  we  got  everything  cooked, 
— myself  into  the  bargain, — excepting  the  chicken. 
I  firmly  believe  it  was  an  old,  tough  hen;  or  else 
Ijabi  and  I  kept  piling  the  fire  and  chips  around 
the  oven  so  fast  that  the  outside  browned  and  the 
tips  of  the  legs  burned  crisp  before  the  inside  got 
done  through.  The  next  time  I  shall  know  better. 
Yesterday  I  sent  out  cook  for  stones,  according 
to  Mrs.  Thompson's  advice,  and  we  three  made  a 
fireplace.  I  intend  to  make  a  shovel  out  of  an  old 
tin  can  to-day  or  to-morrow.  I  used  one  long 
iron  spoon  for  stirring  pots,  lifting  lids,  and  putting 
coals  around.  Once  or  twice  I  had  to  take  a  chip 
and  scrape  the  ashes  out  of  it;  but  that  didn't 
hurt.  The  only  springs  near  us  have  red  water, 
and  the  clear  water  is  half  a  mile  off.  We  have 
got  along  with  very  little  clear  water  thus  far;  I 
hope  to  have  more.  Our  dishes  are  very  few; 
but  it  saves  washing.     Several  of  the  young  men 


198  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

are  spelling  nicely,  and  one  of  them  will  read  very- 
soon. 

October  21. — Mr.  Maclachlan  called  day  before 
yesterday,  and  I  think  we  shall  find  him  a  pleasant 
neighbor.  The  Spaniard  has  not  been  over  yet. 
The  bread  you  gave  us  was  very  good,  and  I  was 
very  glad  I  found  a  place  for  the  last  loaf  It  was 
quite  a  surprise  to  find  a  piece  of  beef  already 
broiled  in  the  tin  pail.  I'll  send  your  pail  back 
some  time;  but  we  can't  spare  it  just  yet.  We 
sleep  and  eat  in  the  study,  and  keep  the  most  of 
our  goods  in  there.  A  nice  large  cupboard  stands 
in  the  Ikenga,  left  by  Mr.  Paull.  Mrs.  Thompson 
sleeps  in  the  Ikenga,  and  the  children,  too.  The 
view  from  here  is  beautiful ;  and  you  must  come 
up  and  bring  the  children  just  as  soon  as  you  can 
after  we  get  fixed. 

I  do  not  think  we  shall  suffer  from  the  heat, 
although  we  have  not  had  a  fire  made  in  the 
house  before  this  afternoon. 

We  expect  a  boat  to-night,  and  hope  to  hear 
that  Anna  is  almost  well.  The  rains  commenced 
here  before  the  women  had  made  their  gardens, 
and  I  do  not  know  when  we  shall  have  fresh  corn. 

Tuesday,  October  24. — We  have  just  finished 
supper,  which  consisted  of  stewed  mangoes,  Indian 
corn-meal  cakes,  and  shark  in  jomba.  The  shark 
was  not  done ;  so  we  sent  it  back  to  the  fire  for 
our  breakfast.     It  was  the  first  that  our  fisherman 


PIONEERING. 


199 


has  brought,  and,  to  my  sorrow,  I  saw  him  this 
afternoon  making  shark-hooks  in  town.  I  do  not 
admire  that  kind  of  fish.  We  had  another  kind 
of  fish  for  dinner  "that  was  "  a  dash."  It  tasted 
strong,  and  looked  Hke  the  flesh  of  coarse  beef. 
We  have  not  bought  any  chickens  yet,  but  have 
had  four  given  us.  It  is  such  a  trouble  to  re- 
member and  return  to  all  the  donors,  that  it  would 
be  easier  to  buy.  The  boat  came  a  little  before 
daylight,  and  we  were  very  glad  to  get  the  things 
and  to  hear  that  you  are  all  well.  Several  of  the 
things  you  sent  we  had  down  on  our  next  order. 

....  Children  do  not  seem  to  be  a  very  plenti- 
ful kind  of  commodity  in  these  parts,  and  girls  are 
very  scarce  indeed.  Perhaps  they  have  gone  off 
to  marry  in  other  places.  Plantains  are  more 
plenty  than  anything  else,  unless  it  is  corn.  I 
was  very  glad  to  see  the  can  of  butter, — scarcely 
knew  what  to  use  it  on  first.  .  .  . 

Mrs.  Thompson  baked  Louisa  a  palm-oil  cake 
on  Friday,  thinking  the  boat  would  be  here  that 
night;  but  it  is  all  gone  but  a  little  piece.  She 
has  been  trying  some  Kombe  medicine  for  her 
toothache  this  afternoon,  and  the  pain  ceased  for 
the  present.  Mrs.  T.  sleeps  on  a  door  which  rests 
on  two  boxes.  Good-by,  and  much  love  to  all. 
I  felt  a  little  feverish  yesterday,  but  am  pretty  well 
to-day.  There  is  plenty  to  do,  but  not  such  trying 
work  as  in  a  girls'  school.  .  .  . 


200  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

MRS.    NASSAU   TO    HER   UNCLE   AND    AUNTS. 

Thursday,  October  26. 

This  morning  I  received  an  invitation  from  one 
of  my  town  friends  to  take  dinner  with  her,  and 
about  noon  some  one  came  to  call  me,  saying  the 
food  was  ready.  I  went  in  fear  and  trembling,  for 
I  did  not  feel  well ;  and,  knowing  a  shark  had 
been  killed  by  her  people  a  few  days  before,  I 
expected  to  be  feasted  on  dried  shark  and  green 
plantains.  My  fears  were  not  prophetic,  for  she 
had  prepared  a  nice,  fresh  fish,  cooked  with  a  native 
dish  called  ngdiidd.  The  nganda  is  made  from 
seeds  that  look  just  like  pumpkin  seeds,  and,  after 
being  shelled,  either  with  the  teeth  or  a  knife 
(opened,  I  should  say),  the  kernel  is  rubbed  into  a 
paste.  The  fish  and  paste  are  then  mixed  together 
with  salt  and  plenty  of  Cayenne  pepper ;  and,  being 
tied  up  in  plantain  leaves,  it  is  baked  by  the  fire. 
We  had  yams  and  ripe  plantains  as  vegetables, 
and  a  small  pitcher  and  little  blue  tumbler  served 
my  friend  and  me  to  drink  from.  I  appropriated 
the  pitcher,  leaving  her  the  glass.  When  we  went 
to  the  table,  the  fish  was  already  on  our  plates. 
A  colored  table-cover  served  as  a  cloth,  and  we 
had  knives  and  forks.  A  dinner-plate  with  some 
wet  salt  was  also  on  the  table.  I  ate  heartily. 
Everything  looked  clean  and  tasted  very  nicely. 

Hamill  expected  to  go  to  Meduma  this  after- 


PIONEERING.  20 1 

noon,  a  place  five  miles  north  of  us,  but  the  young 
man  he  wanted  to  place  there  as  Scripture-reader 
was  not  quite  ready. 

Mrs.  Thompson's  fears  of  the  leopards  were 
all  revived  this  morning  by  the  sight  of  leopard- 
tracks  in  the  soft  sand  around  the  house.  Make- 
ndenge  tells  her  the  leopards  will  "  love  the  fat  on 
her  very  much  indeed."  Makendenge  is  Dr.  Nas- 
sau's interpreter — a  great  friend  of  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son, and  a  favorite  with  us  all.  He  was  with  us 
several  months  before  we  left  Corisco,  and  it  seems 
several  of  the  young  men  about  here  have  been 
asking  him  whether  Mrs.  Thompson  intends  to 
marry  again.  He  told  them  they  must  not  ask  so 
many  questions  about  her  or  he  would  tell  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Nassau ;  that  Mrs.  T.  would  not  have 
any  of  them ;  she  would  not  marry  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  and  if  she  did,  it  would  be  to  no  one 
but  himself 

Yesterday  afternoon  Hamill  and  I  went  across 
the  river  to  return  a  call  from  Mr,  Maclachlan,  the 
young  trader  whose  factory  is  nearly  opposite  us. 
(He  had  come  to  church  on  Sabbath,  and  after- 
wards, to  my  dismay,  my  husband  invited  him  to 
stay  to  dinner.  I  did  not  feel  inhospitable,  but  we 
had  scarcely  dishes  enough  to  set  the  table  for 
ourselves,  and,  as  it  was,  the  gravy  had  to  come 
on  in  a  tin  cup.)  He  gave  us  a  cup  of  tea,  some 
nice  little  crackers,  and  fried  ham,  before  we  came 


202  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

back.  Learning  that  our  supply  of  rice  had  not 
come  from  Corisco,  he  gave  us  a  basin  of  rice  and 
the  same  of  barley.  Basins  of  all  sizes  and  colors 
are  a  great  article  of  trade  here,  used  by  the  people 
for  holding  their  food,  not  for  washing  the  face 
and  hands.  While  we  were  sitting  there,  he 
brought  out  a  small  jar  of  mince-meat  and  asked 
me  if  I  could  tell  him  the  use  of  it.  He  had  been 
using  it  cold  on  his  bread,  but  did  not  care  very 
much  for  it  that  way.  I  told  him  he'd  better  let 
me  bring  it  home  and  have  a  pie  made  for  him  ; 
to  which  he  willingly  assented.  The  pie  is  to  be 
baked  on  Saturday,  and  he  will  take  it  home  after 
church.  As  I  had  no  butter  or  lard,  I  asked  for 
a  piece  of  pork  to  get  some  shortening  for  the 
crust,  and  he  sent  his  boy  for  two  pieces  of  pork. 
We  bought  out  of  his  factory  a  large  bake-oven ; 
our  bread  will  not  keep  us  busy  all  the  morning 
now. 

I  had  taken  over  with  me  a  large  pan  of  biscuit 
and  a  pitcher  of  palm-butter.  So  we  both  gain  by 
being  near  neighbors.  "  Palm-butter"  is  like  thick 
gravy,  and  is  eaten  on  bread  or  any  kind  of  vege- 
table, but  principally  on  rice.  The  oil  skimmed 
off  the  top  is  used  for  any  kind  of  frying,  and  used 
to  the  taste  it  does  very  well.  We  put  a  little  in 
our  biscuits,  and  on  baked  chicken. 

Before  leaving  Corisco,  arrangements  had  been 


PIONEERING. 


203 


made  with  a  certain  captain,  an  Elobi  trader,  to 
follow  us  to  Benita  with  the  remainder  of  our  fur- 
niture, utensils,  etc.  His  failure  to  do  so  necessi- 
tated the  use  of  the  little  gig  "  Draper"  for  heavy 
sea-service  on  monthly  trips  to  Corisco.  Mr. 
Clark's  boat  also  coming  monthly  in  forwarding 
the  mail,  we  for  several  months  had  communica- 
tion every  two  weeks  with  Corisco,  which,  with 
the  press  of  building,  night-school  teaching,  visit- 
ing, and  learning  to  adapt  the  Benga  language  to 
the  Kombe  dialect,  quite  took  off  the  edge  of  the 
sense  of  isolation. 


MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

BONITA,  Nov.  3d,  1865. 

We  have  been  looking  for  the  boat  since  yester- 
day morning,  and  now  we  cannot  tell  what  to 
think.  .  .  .  We  did  not  expect  our  letters  iuucIl 
until  last  night  or  this  morning,  and  having  our 
mail  to  get  ready  for  the  same  boat  prevents  our 
feeling  quite  so  impatient.  ...  I  have  been  a  little 
feverish  one  or  two  days  this  week,  but  nothing  of 
any  account.  .  .  .  The  weather  has  not  been  very 
cold,  and  we  have  not  had  much  rain  in  the  daytime. 

Mbata  had  a  place  on  his  leg  lanced  by  a  native 
last  Friday,  and  Dr.  Nassau  says  an  artery  must 
have  been  cut,  for  he  came  near  bleeding  to  death. 
Kove  is  living  at  his  town  much  against  her  will, 


204  CROWNED  IN  PALM- LAND. 

and  they  do  not  get  along  very  well  together.  She 
charges  him  with  unkindness,  and  he  says  Kove 
is  not  faithful  to  him. 

My  friend  Ndomi  says  when  his  child  is  born 
he  wants  his  wife  and  the  baby  to  come  here  and 
live  all  the  time.  He  is  a  good  fisherman,  but  not 
very  successful  in  the  hunt.  The  first  day  he  went 
out  he  shot  at  a  monkey,  and  it  ran  away ;  the 
second  day  he  shot  at  something  else  and  burst 
his  brother's  gun.  After  breaking  the  gun  he 
picked  up  a  turtle  and  brought  us.  I  cooked  it 
yesterday,  but  never  having  cooked  a  turtle  before, 
and  having  no  receipt-book  with  me,  it  was  not  a 
very  fine  dish.  I  have  eaten  turtle  once  or  twice  in 
America,  and  it  was  quite  tender,  but  this  old  lady 
was  about  as  tough  as  you  could  wish  to  taste. 
Mrs.  Thompson  did  not  know  any  more  than  I  did 
about  it. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    THE    MISSES    M.  AND    M.  A.  LATTA. 

Mond.  morn.,  Nov.  5,  '65. 

At  two  o'clock  yesterday  (Sabbath)  morning  we 
were  wakened  by  the  arrival  of  our  mail,  which 
brought  letters  from  you  and  Kate,  and  my  baby's 
picture.  It  is  very  like  him,  and  just  as  good  a 
treasure  as  could  have  come  by  mail.  VVe  went 
to  bed  again  about  four,  and  I  slept  a  little,  but  it 
was  hard  work.     Haniill  did  not  sleep  at  all. 


PIONEERING. 


205 


It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  go  to  all  that  trouble 
about  the  fruits.  We  shall  enjoy  them  highly 
when  they  come,  and  there  will  be  enough  to  share 
with  some  of  our  less  fortunate  friends. 

No  letters  came  from  Lawrenceville,  but  we 
hear  through  Mrs.  Mackey  that  Sister  Bella  is  not 
coming.  She  had  not  sufficient  notice.  Captain 
Yates  asserted  positively,  when  he  said  good-by 
last  June,  that  he  would  not  be  back  in  Africa;  he 
was  sick  of  the  trade  here.  Mrs.  Yates  laughed 
and  said  we  would  see  them  both  back  in  six 
months ;  and  it  will  not  be  over  seven  months,  if 
they  have  a  quick  passage.  .  .  .  There  are  some 
pretty  shells  north  of  us,  but  no  variety ;  none 
near  us.  A  man  walked  six  miles  last  week  to 
sell  a  half-hatful  of  shells.  Some  came  from  three 
miles  down  the  coast  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  .  .  .  We  are  getting  along  nicely  here.  I 
wiih  you  could  pay  us  a  visit.  Come  out  on  one 
voyage  of  the  vessel  and  stay  until  it  returns  on 
another  trip.  ...  I  know  Sister  Bella  feels  badly 
that  she  cannot  come.  I  will  send  you  some  of 
those  little  red  Guinea-peas  in  the  box. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

Monday. 

Here  is  a  half-sheet  additional.  I  am  very  much 
troubled  since  hearing  of  your  illness,  and  I  want 

1 8* 


2o6  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

you  please  to  send  up  for  me  if  you  should  ever 
be  very  sick  and  Mrs.  Clemens  not  be  there  or  not 
able  to  take  care  of  you.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that 
she  is  no  better ;  if  she  can  only  help  at  Evanga- 
simba,  she  ought  not  to  attempt  anything  else. 

We  had  good  news  from  Willie.  I  send  Kate's 
letter  for  you  to  read,  but  cannot  spare  the  picture. 
.  .  .  We  have  been  paring  mangoes  this  morning, 
and  will  put  up  this  afternoon.  .  .  .  What  can  I  do 
for  you  in  this  out-of-the-way  place  ? 

MRS.   NASSAU    TO    THE   SAME. 

BoNlTA,  W.  A., 
Wed'y  morn.,  Nov.  15,  '65. 

Our  men  are  getting  ready  for  a  start,  and  we 
hope  they  may  reach  you  some  time  to-morrow. 
They  go  for  goods  and  mango-plums,  and  I  hope 
the  bats  have  left  enough  on  some  of  the  trees  at 
your  place  or  Alongo.  ...  If  Mrs.  Clemens  does 
not  finish  up  all  your  sewing  in  about  a  fortnight 
after  she  comes  back,  I  wish  you  could  send  me 
some  to  do.  I  cannot  do  it  as  neatly  as  your  sister, 
but  I  will  do  it  pretty  well. 

The  Kroomen  who  brought  over  Mr.  Maclach- 
lan's  letters  told  Mrs.  Thompson  there  were  two 
American  ships  at  Fernando  Po.  The  news  comes 
in  rather  a  roundabout  way,  and  it  would  be  too 
soon  for  the  "  Greyhound.".  .  . 


PIONEERING. 


207 


We  are  sending  a  private  order  for  some  self- 
sealing  cans  that  were  ordered  once  on  the  general 
order.  Will  you  send  me  besides  some  pickle-jars 
if  you  have  more  than  you  want,  and  ask  Mr. 
Clark  for  some  large  corks  from  the  study  ?  .  .  . 
Some  of  those  I  put  up  are  spoiling.  I  had  no 
wax,  and  sealed  them  with  stewed  sugar,  thinking 
it  might  make  molasses-candy,  but  it  did  not  get 
quite  stiff  enough.  There  ought  to  be  a  little 
resin  stewed  with  the  wax.  ...  It  is  too  bad  that 
we  have  to  trouble  you  or  rather  your  husband  so 

much.      If  Captain  H 's  boat  had  come  that 

next  week,  as  we  expected,  you  would  have  been 
saved  some  trouble.  .  .  .  We  expect  to  get  in  our 
bed-room  next  Saturday.  The  men  do  not  hurt 
themselves  by  working  fast,  but  they  make  a  nice 
wall.  .  .  .  Njaku  begins  to  cook  for  us  to-day. 
His  predecessor  was  dirty,  and  had  no  sense  for 
cooking. 

Our  new  kitchen  will  soon  be  done,  and  then 
we  will  relieve  ourselves  of  the  host  of  visitors 
who  go  there  to  get  a  coal  or  get  a  drink.  The 
boys'  room  being  next  our  present  kitchen,  and 
two  of  them  sleeping  in  the  same  room  in  which 
we  cook,  makes  it  impossible  to  keep  people  away 
altogether. 

Dr.  Nassau  drove  two  posts  in  the  ground  and 
put  an  iron  bar  through  the  top  for  us  to  hang  our 
pots  on.    Mambo  wanted  to  know  what  they  would 


2o8  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

do  for  their  cooking  when  we  took  away  the  bar. 
A  thing  he  never  saw  before,  I  reckon.  I  speak  of 
Mambo,  from  Hanje,  who  lives  here. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

BONITA,  \V.  A., 
Tues.,  Dec.  5,  1865. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  have  had  the  luxury  of 
writing  on  a  table  since  we  came  to  Bonita.  A  few 
times  I  took  my  paper  over  to  a  big  chest,  and  sat 
on  one  of  the  board  seats  laid  on  blocks  for  the 
people;  but  usually  I  wrote  on  an  atlas  on  my 
knee.  To-day  my  head  aches,  and  we  carried  the 
pantry-table  in  by  way  of  luxury.  We  only  boast 
two  tables  in  the  house,  the  one  at  which  I  am 
writing, — which  is  also  our  dining-table,  —  and 
another  very  small  one  that  stands  in  one  corner 
of  the  pantry,  and  holds  various  articles  that  can 
find  no  place  in  our  one  cupboard.  The  fewer  our 
possessions  the  less  the  care  and  trouble. 

About  two  weeks  ago  we  moved  into  our  bed- 
room, and  I  was  very  thankful  to  get  out  of  such 
a  confused  and  crowded  corner  as  we  occupied  in 
the  study.  The  uieldngd  (native  rope  used  for 
tying  on  the  bamboo)  was  all  kept  under  our  bed- 
stead, and  it  was  impossible  to  move  the  bedstead 
two  inches  in  any  direction ;  of  course  all  sweep- 
ing under  it  was  out  of  the  question.     In  going 


PIONEERING. 


209 


behind  to  make  the  bed  I  had  to  step  up  on  several 
bunches  of  melanga,  which  made  the  process  of 
bed-making  very  uncomfortable. 

We  are  also  occupying  a  new  kitchen ;  and  the 
great  luxury  of  a  stove  arrived  this  morning.  The 
stove  in  question  is  a  small  "  parlor  cooking-stove," 
brought  out  by  Mrs.  McQueen  ten  years  ago,  to 
be  used  in  the  house  at  Ugobi, — more  for  warmth 
than  for  cooking.  Mrs.  Ogden  bought  it  when 
Mrs.  McQueen  went  to  America  the  second  time, 
but  supposed  it  was  broken,  and  never  had  it  re- 
moved to  their  new  station.  Mrs.  Ogden  afterwards 
made  it  a  present  to  me.  So  when  Ugobi  was 
taken  to  pieces  the  stove  was  removed  to  our 
Maluku  station.  This  morning  it  arrived  in  the 
mail-boat,  and  we  propose  to  put  it  up  in  our 
kitchen,  thinking  it  will  do  to  cook  common 
meals  by. 

The  little  stove  we  have  in  our  reception-room ; 
and  it  is  a  great  comfort.  The  large  cooking- 
stove,  bought  at  Williams's,  in  Philadelphia,  we 
left  at  Corisco. 

Our  first  boy-cook  received  a  kind  dismissal 
two  or  three  weeks  ago,  and  we  have  one  in  his 
place  who  knows  rather  more,  but  does  not  love 
cooking.  For  my  part  I  do  not  admire  cooking 
over  a  fire-place,  .especially  a  fire-place  without  a 
chimney,  where  half  the  smoke  goes  out  of  the 
nearest  window,  and  the  rest  goes  up  to  the  roof 


2IO  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

or  in  your  eyes.  Our  first  cook  told  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son one  day  that  he  knew  how  to  cook,  but  that 
she  and  I  came  into  the  kitchen  and  gave  so  many 
orders,  and  said,  "  Hurry,  hurry,"  so  very  often, 
that  it  made  him  trouble.  You  see,  he  was  not 
strong  and  quite  slow,  also  averse  to  cleaning  up 
any  of  his  pots  and  kettles  after  one  meal  until 
time  to  begin  cooking  for  the  next,  tie  was  busy 
all  day,  never  done,  a,nd  never  got  his  kitchen 
cleaned  up ;  so  no  wonder  the  poor  boy  was  dis- 
couraged. .  .  . 

This  morning  vv^e  were  awakened  at  three  o'clock 
by  a  chicken  squalling,  and  Hamill  sprang  to  the 
door, — I  suppose  with  visions  of  snakes  floating 
through  his  brain.  A  snake  that  kills  chickens 
had  been  destroyed  in  our  kitchen  only  a  few  days 
before,  and  I  thought  another  of  the  same  kind 
was  around.  The  disturber  was  only  our  cook 
seizing  a  chicken  which  I  had  told  him  to  catch 
the  evening  before  for  our  dinner  to-day.  We  did 
not  thank  him  for  neglecting  his  business  and 
waking  us  up  at  such  an  unreasonable  hour,  for 
we  were  both  very  tired.  In  less  than  two  hours 
we  were  wakened  again  by  men's  voices  in  the 
yard,  and  soon  found  the  mail-boat  had  arrived 
from  Corisco.  Hamill  was  so  sleepy  he  did  not 
get  up  until  the  men  knocked  at  the  front  door ; 
and  after  the  things  were  brought  in  he  came  back 
to  bed.    The  first  thing  after  getting  up  was  morn- 


PIONEERING.  2 1 1 

ing  prayers,  and  then  we  only  had  time  to  look  at 
some  of  the  Corisco  notes  before  breakfast.  We 
always  keep  our  Lawrenceville  letter  until  both 
can  sit  down  quietly  to  read  it ;  but  I  am  never  the 
one  who  is  to  be  waited  for.  This  morning  after 
breakfast  Hamill  was  obliged  to  go  out  and  start 
some  of  the  men  at  their  work,  and  then  some 
other  interruptions  came  ;  so  it  seemed  a  long  time 
to  me.  I  had  read  my  uncle's  letter  through,  and 
learned  that  Willie  was  safe  in  Aunt  Lizzie's  hands, 
and  Mrs.  Mackey's  letter  told  me  of  the  crib  in 
which  he  slept.  ...  I  trust  we  may  be  spared  to 
see  him  in  a  couple  of  years.  Hamill's  health  is 
much  better  than  when  I  returned  from  America ; 
the  annoyances  connected  with  the  girls'  school 
seemed  to  keep  him  listless  and  feverish.  .  .  .  The 
last  dose  of  blue-mass  he  took  was  the  week  we 
left  Corisco ;  and  I  hope  he  will  not  have  to  take 
it  soon  again.  We  occasionally  speak  of  going 
to  America  at  some  future  time ;  Hamill  thinks  in 
two  years  or  less,  but  does  not  want  to  leave  until 
this  station  can  be  supplied  with  one  or  two 
families. 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    MRS.    REV.    W.    H.    CLARK. 

BONITA,  W.  A., 
Wed'y,  Dec.  6,  1865. 

We  are  so  poor  in  this  neighborhood  that  we 
cannot  afford  thick  paper  even  for  African  notes ; 


212  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

so  I  have  fallen  back  on  this  tinted  for  use  about 
home. 

For  once,  my  husband  has  written  "  a  news" 
letter,  and  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  much  left 
for  me  to  say.  We  are  moving  along  as  usual, 
and  hope  to  be  moving  down  your  way  the  first  of 
the  new  year. 

I  send  a  few  shells  to  be  divided  among  your- 
selves and  the  Alongo  friends.  The  long,  dark 
ones  came  from  Meduma,  five  miles  to  the  north 
of  us. 

A  few  Sabbaths  ago  a  young  man  arrived  from 
some  distance  up  the  coast, — Etiyani's  town, — 
wishing  a  book  and  instruction.  As  we  have  no 
boarding-school  I  referred  him  to  Alongo ;  but  he 
returned  the  next  morning  to  his  people.  I  think 
it  likely  he  may  yet  find  his  way  to  Corisco.  He 
brought  some  shells  and  three  bad  eggs  to  sell, 
but  I  believe  he  did  not  know  the  eggs  were 
spoiled.  He  seems  to  place  great  value  on  books 
and  instruction  ;  but  did  not  know,  until  I  informed 
him,  that  Sabbath  was  not  the  day  for  selling 
eggs. 

Ejuse  has  been  down  several  times  with  shells. 
I  send  of  a  kind  that  Mrs.  McQueen  said  are  very 
rare,  and  they  are  seldom  found  on  Corisco.  .  .  . 
I  had  fever  last  Sabbath  a  week  (the  only  day  any 
one  has  been  kept  in  bed  since  we  came) ;  took 
cold  by  getting  my  skirts  damp  on  the  beach.     I 


PIONEERING.  213 

only  changed  my  dress  when  I  came  home,  and 
paid  for  my  carelessness  by  some  fever  with  bad 
back-ache,  and  pains  in  my  limbs.  I  tell  you  about 
the  pain  because  of  the  cure.  The  first  thing  that 
relieved  me  was  a  large  bunch  of  mahepo  leaves 
heated  in  the  bake-oven,  wrapped  in  a  thin  cloth, 
and  laid  to  my  back.  It  was  a  delightful  sensa- 
tion, and  I  advise  you  to  try  it  if  you  get  any  pains 
or  aches.  .  .  . 

By  the  direction  of  Presbytery,  a  church  was 
organized  at  Benita  on  December  1 1,  1865,  and  the 
first  communion  was  celebrated  on  December  31. 
As  I  had  to  go  to  Corisco  headquarters  regularly 
on  the  first  week  of  each  January,  April,  July,  and 
October,  and  Mrs.  Nassau  wishing  to  revisit  her 
Corisco  friends  after  the  three  months  of  almost 
utter  deprivation  of  civilization,  it  was  decided  to 
close  the  house  and  go  with  the  entire  household 
for  an  absence  of  two  weeks,  covering  the  Corisco 
communion-season  and  mission-meetings. 

Mr.  Clark  had  sent  up  the  "  Manji"  for  us.  The 
very  last  hour  of  1865  was  occupied  in  writing,  at 
the  request  of  a  large  number  of  the  people,  not 
only  Christian  but  heathen,  an  urgent  protest  to 
young  Maclachlan,  begging  him  not  to  carry  out 
his  expressed  intention  of  starting  a  rum-shop  on 
the  mission  side  of  the  river. 

In  the  "  Manji,"  accompanied  by  the  "  Draper," 
19 


214 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


the  journey  was  commenced,  immediately  after  the 
hours  of  Sabbath,  in  the  earhest  morning  of  the 
New  Year,  January  i,  1866,  and  an  unusually  good 
wind  brought  us  to  Corisco  before  daylight  of  the 
morning  of  the  2d.  Mrs.  Nassau  busied  herself 
packing  boxes  of  curiosities  to  send  to  America 
by  the  already-expected  "  Greyhound." 

Sabbath,  7th,  was  Communion  at  Evangasimba, 
On  the  8th,  I  had  to  go  to  Gaboon  to  have  ex- 
tracted teeth  that  had  been  aching  at  frequent 
intervals  for  weeks. 

On  Wednesday,  the  loth,  Mrs.  Nassau,  wearied 
with  her  packing,  went  on  a  visit  to  Alongo,  and 
there  was  seized  in  the  evening  with  a  malignant 
chill.  Mr.  Clark  prescribed  for  her,  and  sent  a 
boat  for  me  on  Thursday  morning,  which  met  me 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Gaboon,  returning  on  Friday, 
the  1 2th. 

Mr.  Clark's  remedies  had  been  blest,  and  the 
fever  was  gone,  but  the  prostration  was  very  great. 
For  Mrs.  Nassau  to  return  to  Benita  in  that  state 
was  impossible.  So  my  Kombe  crew  were  sent 
back  to  Benita  to  their  homes,  and  to  let  the  peo- 
ple know  the  cause  of  our  delay;  and  I  awaited 
Mrs.  Nassau's  convalescence.  Even  when  that  was 
assured,  it  was  decided  to  be  prudent  for  her  to 
remain  at  Corisco  until  the  arrival  of  more  nour- 
ishing supplies  by  the  anxiously-expected  "  Grey- 
hound" (which  did  not  come  until  a  month  after), 


PIONEERING.  2 1 5 

while  I,  with  Mrs.  Thompson,  returned  to  Benita, 
on  February  7. 

There  had  always  been  kindly  intercourse  be- 
tween us  and  the  Spanish  Jesuit  priests,  and  a 
sending  of  favors  and  assistance  in  sickness.  In 
our  visits  the  conversation  was  solely  in  Benga. 
During  Mrs.  Nassau's  illness,  Padre  Garcia  wrote 
to  Alongo,  accompanying  a  watermelon  and  other 
fruits,  a  Benga  note,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
literal  translation : 

"Mission  of  St.  Ignatius,  Jan'y  13,  1866. 

"  My  friend  Mr.  Nassau, — I  have  known  with 
sorrow  that  your  wife  is  very  sick  these  days  there 
at  Alongo.  I  feel  sorrow,  my  friend,  for  the  sick- 
ness of  Mrs.  Nassau  ;  but  Our  Father  God  can 
give  her  strength,  and  you,  too,  for  enduring  the 
Cross  which  the  Son  of  God  has  sent  you.  Over 
there  is  so  far,  and  I  have  many  duties  these  days  ; 
but  if  there  is  a  thing  you  can  wish  with  me,  I  am 
yours.  Padre  Torre  salutes  ye.  Salute  also  with 
all  my  heart  your  wife,  and  those  of  the  station. 
"  Your  friend, 

"  F.  X.  Garcia." 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    THE    MISSES    M.  AND  M.  A.  LATTA. 

CoRiSco,  West  Africa,  Feb'y  17,  1866, 
Saturday  morn.,  Evangasimba. 

It  will  be  two  weeks  next  Tuesday  since  Dr. 
Nassau  returned  to  our  home  on  the  mainland, 


2i6  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

leaving  me  in  the  care  of  Corisco  friends.  I  had 
expected  to  accompany  him  ;  but,  going  up  to 
Alongo  to  make  a  farewell  visit,  I  took  such  a  vio- 
lent cold  in  my  face  and  teeth  that  I  was  unfit  for 
the  journey.  Hamill  thought,  also,  that  as  the 
"  Greyhound"  was  still  delayed,  I  would  fare  rather 
better  in  the  way  of  supplies  at  Corisco  than  at 
Bonita.  Being  sick  several  days  with  the  tooth- 
ache, took  away  much  of  the  strength  I  had  gained 
after  my  attack  of  fever. 

It  is  thought  best  by  all  that  I  should  go  to 
Gaboon,  on  the  arrival  of  the  "Greyhound,"  and 
spend  several  weeks  there,  to  recruit  still  further. 
Hamill  comes  down  to  mission-meeting  the  last  of 
March,  and  I  return  with  him  the  next  week. 

Mrs.  Thompson  also  returned  to  Bonita,  and 
Julia  remained  with  me.  .  .  .  We  have  all  been 
out  of  butter  since  September,  except  an  occasional 
present  of  a  few  pounds  from  some  ship  or  trader. 
We  have  had  no  salt  meat  for  some  length  of 
time,  but  got  along  quite  comfortably  with  canned 
meat  and  chickens ;  but  it  is  certainly  providential 
that  now  that  canned  meats  are  exhausted,  the 
fowls  are  brought  in  two  or  three  at  a  time.  Fresh 
fish  are  usually  obtained  without  difficulty;  but  a 
fish  diet  is  not  considered  the  most  wholesome. 
Flour  is  just  about  done,  and  we  have  been  on 
short  allowance  for  several  months.  I  do  not  write 
this  to  worry  you,  but  to  let  you  see  how  very 


PIONEERING. 


217 


timely  will  be  the  arrival  of  our  supplies,  and  to 
show  how  much  we  will  enjoy  the  good  things  that 
are  coming. 

Mr.  Garcia  sent  Mrs.  Clark  this  week  a  hind- 
quarter  of  fresh  pork.  She  sent  a  piece  to  Mrs. 
De  Heer,  with  whom  I  was  staying  at  the  time, 
and  we  did  enjoy  it  very  much.  It  was  the  first 
time  I  had  tasted  fresh  pork  in  Africa.  We  had, 
with  the  pork,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  plantains,  and 
green  corn, — the  last  a  great  rarity  this  season. 

After  Dr.  Nassau  went  to  Bonita,  Mr.  Maclach- 
lan  offered  him  some  of  the  supplies  he  had  lately 
received ;  so  he  sent  the  boat  across  for  a  little 
flour  and  butter.  Besides  the  flour  and  butter,  he 
received  tea,  pickles,  desiccated  milk,  and  some- 
thing else  I  could  not  make  out.  Hamill  sent 
down  part  of  the  flour  and  butter ;  and  we  hope, 
before  it  is  done,  to  see  the  "  Greyhound"  anchor 
ofl"  Corisco.  I  have  been  gaining  strength  slowly, 
but  feel  much  stronger  and  better  to-day  than  I 
have  since  my  illness.  The  weather  has  been 
unusually  warm  for  Corisco,  or,  I  think,  I  should 
have  improved  faster. 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.    E.    NASSAU. 

Corisco,  W.  A.,  Feb.  19,  '66, 
Mon.  morn.,  Evangasimba. 

....  I  have   been  improving  more   rapidly  in 
the  last  few  days,  and,  if  the  "  Greyhound"  does  not 
19* 


21 8  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

come  very  soon,  I  would  rather  go  to  Bonita  than 
Gaboon.  Every  one  else  thinks  it  would  be  folly 
for  me  to  think  of  returning  before  Hamill  comes 
down  the  last  of  March ;  so  I  suppose  I  go  to 
( laboon.  ...  I  am  feeling  better  than  I  have  since 
the  first  of  December,  but  am  too  weak  to  occupy 
myself  with  much  sewing,  or  even  much  reading, 
so  that  the  time  passes  slowly.  I  read  awhile,  and 
my  eyes  get  tired ;  I  try  to  sew,  and  my  hands  get 
tired;  I  try  to  think,  and  my  head  soon  wearies. 
Still,  I  am  gaining,  and  thankful  for  so  much 
strength . 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    THE    MISSES    M.    AND    M.    A.    LATTA. 

Tues.  morn.,  Feb'y  20. 

This  is  my  birthday,  and  I  would  be  glad  to 
have  it  celebrated  by  the  arrival  of  the  "  Grey- 
hound;" but  doubtless  patience  must  have  its  per- 
fect work.  .  .  .  When  Mr.  De  Heer  came  from 
America,  the  Board  sent  out  the  lumber  for  a 
house  to  be  put  up  at  his  station  Ugobi.  As  there 
were  several  changes,  and  Ugobi  will  not  be  again 
occupied  by  a  white  man,  it  has  been  decided  to 
put  up  the  house  at  Bonita.  So  now  we  have 
weekly  communication  with  our  station,  as  the 
boat  comes  every  week  for  timber,  boards,  etc. 
1  had  not  supposed  at  all  we  should  have  a  frame 
house  at  Bonita  for  some  time,  and  I  was  perfectly 


PIONEERING. 


219 


satisfied  with  our  bamboo  residence.  After  all  the 
materials  are  transported,  Hamill  says  it  will  not 
take  long  to  put  up  the  building.  It  is  intended 
to  be  only  one  story,  which  is  much  nicer  in 
Africa,  I  think.  I  have  a  box  of  shells  to  send 
you  by  the  "  Greyhound."  .  .  .  Hamill  was  in 
Gaboon,  and  I  was  not  at  all  well  when  I  packed 
your  box.  I  did  not  think  then  that  the  weariness 
was  a  symptom  of  coming  fever.  .  .  .  The  house 
at  Maluku  is  still  vacant;  the  girls'  school  still 
scattered.  Some  of  the  trees  that  Hamill  and  I 
planted  and  watched  over  with  so  much  care  are 
just  beginning  to  bear  fruit.  At  Bonita  we  have 
commenced  again  the  planting  and  watching  of 
trees.  I  wonder  who  will  eat  the  fruit!  Hamill 
writes  that  my  finest  Avogado  pear-tree  is  dead  ; 
but  I  knew  it  was  dying  when  I  left.  Perhaps  you 
think,  as  I  did  once,  that  everything  grows  very 
fast  here;  but  it  requires  much  care,  watering 
and  enriching,  to  make  an  orange-,  bread-fruit,  or 
pear-tree  bear  in  three  years, — that,  I  believe,  is 
the  shortest  time.  With  ordinary  care,  those  trees 
will  bear  in  about  five  years.  The  soil  on  the 
mainland  is  mostly  much  better  than  on  Corisco, 
but  the  mission  premises  at  Bonita  are  principally 
sand  (the  people  had  too  much  sense  to  sell  their 
good  ground) ;  but  there  are  some  places  on  it 
not  so  very  poor.  Mr.  PauU  chose  for  health  and 
looks,  and  not  in  reference  to  agriculture.  .  .  . 


220  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    HER    HUSBAND. 

CoRisco,  Feb'y  23,  1866. 
What  do  you  think?  I  got  up  this  morning  a 
few  minutes  after  eight,  in  order  to  attend  to  the 
sending  of  the  Bonita  boat.  Mr.  Clark  is  sick  in 
bed,  and  has  been  since  Wednesday  night ;  so  it  is 
fortunate  there  is  not  much  of  an  order.  I  counted 
the  boards  as  Esaka  took  them  down,  and  measured 
the  floor-boards — 13  feet.  Among  the  long  boards 
you  will  see  one  shorter  and  narrower,  which  I  did 
not  measure,  but  supposed  from  the  size  it  was  one 
of  Ihe  floor-boards.  Mr.  Clark  said  it  was  likely, 
and  you  will  find  it  among  the  others,  twenty  in 
all,  including  the  short  one.  ...  I  came  from 
Alongo  last  Friday,  and  found  the  butter  you  sent 
me.  It  was  a  surprise,  and  has  been  a  great  treat. 
Food  is  getting  very  scarce,  but  I  am  stronger,  and 
my  appetite  better;  so  I  get  along  pretty  well.  .  .  . 
I  amuse  myself  a  little  with  Hebrew,  and  yester- 
day pressed  some  small  pieces  of  sea-weed  that  I 
shall  send  to  Sister  Bella  for  her  photograph-album 
— if  they  are  pretty.  .  .  .  Ilanga  and  Etiyani  came 
down  on  Wednesday  for  supplies,  saying  they  dare 
not  go  to  Bonita  on  account  of  the  tribal  war.  Mr. 
Clark  gives  them  each  two  dollars  apiece,  as  they 
seem  in  such  extremity,  and  you  will  please  send 
them  instructions  for  the  future.  I  told  Mr.  Clark 
I  knew  you  intended  visiting  Aje  soon  after  your 


PIONEERING.  221 

return,  and  you  would  probably  see  them  yourself 
about  it.  They  said  they  they  had  no  means  of 
sending  you  even  a  note. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    THE    SAME. 

CoRisco,  W.  A.,  Feb.  28,  1866. 
Wed'y  night,  Evangasimba. 

...  I  have  been  reading  a  little  hydropathy 
this  week,  and  it  certainly  recommends  itself  more 
to  my  common  sense  (if  I  have  the  article)  than 
anything  I  have  seen  on  homoeopathy.  I  was  not 
persuaded  into  the  subject,  but  took  up  the  book 
when  I  got  tired  of  the  Hebrew. 

Do  you  know  this  is  our  baby's  birthday  ?  I 
wonder  whether  he  has  been  out  in  the  snow  to 
get  rosy  cheeks  and  freeze  his  fingers !  Mrs. 
Walker  wrote  to  Mrs.  De  Heer  that  she  thought 
I  ought  to  go  on  the  "  Greyhound"  to  America. 
...  If  that  slotli  will  only  get  from  its  last  limb  to 
Corisco  some  time  this  week  or  next,  I  think  I 
ought  to  visit  Gaboon  to  show  them  all  how  much 
strength  I  have  gained  in  the  last  ten  days.  .  .  . 
I  take  some  exercise,  but  am  not  able  to  walk 
much  without  getting  tired.  Yesterday  I  walked 
several  times  around  the  front  yard  here,  and  to- 
day had  four  or  five  ticks  taken  off  me,  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  venturing  on  a  grass-plot,  I  suppose. 

Friday  viorn.,  Mar.  2. — The  "  Greyhound"  has 
come  ! 


222  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

Baraka,  Gauoon,  W.  A.,  Mar.  14,  '66. 
In  coming  to  Gaboon  on  the  "  Greyhound"  I 
believe  I  have  reached  the  farthest  point  of  my 
journeyings  at  present.  By  the  last  day  of  this 
month  I  hope  to  be  in  the  mail-boat  and  on  my 
way  to  Corisco,  where  Hamill  and  I  are  hoping  to 
meet  after  a  two  months'  separation.  .  .  .  Mrs. 
Clemens  pressed  a  great  deal  of  sea-weed ;  and 
the  week  before  leaving  Corisco  I  tried  some  small 
pieces.  My  eyes  would  not  allow  of  my  doing 
very  much,  but  I  thought  you  might  like  a  few 
for  photograph-albums  —  divide  as  you  choose. 
You  see  it  is  on  foreign  paper,  but  it  is  all  the  un- 
ruled we  had.  The  first  sea-weed  I  ever  saw 
pressed  was  so  beautifully  done  that  I  never  felt 
much  like  attempting  it.  .  .  .  It  would  be  prettier 
on  stiff  paper.  .  .  .  Last  Saturday  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Walker,  Mrs.  Captain  Yates  and  I  went  to  visit 
the  Roman  Catholic  cathedral,  about  three  miles 
distant.  It  is  the  handsomest  building  I  have  seen 
in  Africa,  and  the  thick  stone  walls  are  different 
from  anything  else  near  us.  I  ought  to  except  the 
cathedral  at  Fernando  Po ;  it  is  larger,  but  I  was 
not  inside.  The  walls  of  the  one  we  visited  are 
pure  white  inside,  and  the  windows  have  unpainted 
glass.  There  were  a  number  of  pictures,  but  hung 
so  high  I  could  not  see  them  well ;  they  were  not 


PIONEERING. 


223 


very  beautiful,  I  judged.  The  floor  was  a  rough 
mosaic  of  red,  blue,  and  brown.  The  holy  water 
had  a  dirty-looking  sediment  at  the  bottom,  and 
some  very  small  animals  wriggled  around  as  if 
they  delighted  in  so  holy  a  bath.  .  .  . 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

Gaboon,  W.  C.  A.,  Mar.  24,  '66. 
Saturday  morn. 

.  ,  .  Yet  I  cannot  help  longing  for  a  sight  of  the 
baby  face,  and  wish  that  I  might  hear  once  more 
the  sound  of  his  baby  voice.  Do  not  teach  him, 
as  he  grows  older,  to  long  too  much  for  his  papa 
and  mamma  so  far  away.     If  we  come  to  him,  he 

will  learn  to  love  us ;  and  if  not .     It  is  sad 

for  a  child  from  earliest  years  to  feel  the  shadow 
of  a  great  loss.  I  ask  that  for  my  baby's  sake.  I 
want  his  childhood  to  be  a  happy  one.  ...  I  sup- 
pose we  will  leave  Corisco  on  Thursday,  April  5, 
for  Bonita,  and  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  be  at  home 
once  more.  .  ,  .  You  see  we  cannot  help  having 
some  kind  of  plans  even  in  Africa,  and  I  write  of 
these  things  that  you  may  see  how  nearly  they 
may  be  fulfilled,  or  how  different  all  things  may 
prove  from  our  present  expectations. 

Mrs.  Preston  talks  of  accompanying  me  to  Cor- 
isco for  a  change ;  but  she  dreads  long  boat-rides 
so  much,  I  fear  it  will  end  in  talk.     It  is  not  the 


224  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

going  to  Corisco,  but  the  two  days  she  must  spend 
in  the  return,  sleeping  ashore  at  a  native  town. 
We  can  go  from  here  in  about  nine  hours.  Well, 
I  have  a  hundred  miles  of  boating  to  be  accom- 
plished between  this  and  Bonita,  and  dread  nothing 
but  the  sea-sickness.  .  .  . 

Mrs,  Nassau,  in  restored  health,  was  escorted  to 
Corisco  by  our  Gaboon  friend.  Rev.  Wm.  Walker, 
on  April  4,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  6th,  with  an 
ample  supply  of  provisions,  we  started  for  Benita, 
arriving  there  at  sunrise  of  the  7th.  Then  such 
happy  days!  opening  boxes  of  delicacies,  and  peep- 
ing into  letters  and  refreshing  books,  stowed  away 
in  unexpected  corners  of  the  boxes  of  presents, 
that  in  sudden  abundance  had  come  from  Glas- 
gow, and  Lawrenceville,  and  Waynesburg,  and 
Philadelphia.  Some  of  the  boxes  had  been  wet 
in  landing  from  the  "  Greyhound,"  and  in  the 
month's  delay  to  open  until  both  Mrs.  Nassau  and 
I  could  be  present  at  the  joyful  act,  some  of  the 
contents  had  spoiled. 

Early  in  May  a  comfortable  trip  that  united  the 
pleasure  of  a  picnic  with  the  work  of  an  itinei'a- 
tion  was  taken  sixteen  miles  up  the  river  to  Senjc, 
for  the  locating  of  two  young  men  as  Scripture- 
readers.  Mrs.  Nassau  accompanied,  and  its  exhil- 
aration completed  her  convalescence  from  another 
fever  that  had  threatened  just  two  weeks  before. 


FJONEERIAG. 


225 


For  three  months  materials  had  been  collect- 
ing from  the  forest  for  foundation -posts,  and 
sills,  and  sleepers  of  the  Benita  frame  house.  Its 
erection  was  begun  just  after  the  return  from 
Senje;  it  was  built  connecting  with  the  west  end 
of  Mr.  Paull's  bamboo  house,  gable  to  gable,  with 
a  board  platform  covering  the  ten  feet  space  be- 
tween the  two.  Our  former  Benga  friends  some- 
times visited  us  in  the  frequently-coming  boats 
that  carried  boards,  etc.  A  member  of  Mr.  Clark's 
household,  Ijawe,  one  of  Mrs.  Nassau's  Maluku 
pupils,  was  with  us  a  few  weeks,  for  medication. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MRS.  REV.  W,  H.  CLARK. 

I 

BONITA,  May  5,  1866. 
Sat'y  night. 

The  beginning  of  this  week  I  thought  my  eye- 
sight was  going  after  yours,  but  the  trip  up  the 
river  seems  to  have  strengthened  my  eyes  some-, 
what, — perhaps  by  increasing  my  strength. 

My  fever  came  near  being  malignant,  I  think; 
but  I  could  not  decide  on  any  special  cause  ex- 
cepting the  climate,  and  that  has  to  bear  so  much 
blame,  a  small  fever  additional  will  not  hurt  it.  .  .  . 
I  send  some  cans  that  came  from  America,  hoping 
you  will  enjoy  them.  All  the  dried  fruit  in  both 
boxes  was  spoiled,  also  a  variety  of  other  things. 
A  box  of  corn-starch  came  safely,  and  a  tin  case 
containing  chocolate.     There  was  a  good  portion 


226  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

of  emptiness  in  the  largest  box,  and  a  fine  supply 
of  Sunday-school  papers. 

We  spent  one  night  up  the  river,  and  I  enjoyed 
the  trip  very  much.  I  was  afraid,  if  I  did  not  go 
this  time,  it  might  be  several  years — if  I  live  so 
long — before  I  should  get  beyond  the  mouth. 

Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?  .  .  .  Do 
not  feel  troubled  about  me.  I  will  take  quinine 
pretty  regularly,  and  have  commenced  the  iodide 
of  iron,  besides  an  irregular  practice  of  water-cure. 
Dr.  Nassau  let  me  put  on  all  the  water  I  wanted 
during  my  fever.  He  just  laughs  at  me  when  I 
am  packed;  but  I  have  only  tried  that  a  few  times, 
as  Mrs.  T.  does  not.  do  it  very  nicely. 

The  trade  in  India  rubber  (obtained  from  a  vitic) 
and  red  dyewoods  increased  at  the  Bonita  River, 
stimulated  by  the  wants  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  and 
new  factories  were  set  up  at  Sipolu  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river.  Among  others,  came  a  native, 
Mpongwe  Sune.  Rum  circulated  most  freely,  and 
there  were  frequent  altercations ;  one  of  which  re- 
sulted almost  fatally  to  our  young  friend  Maclach- 
lan,  by  gun-shot  wounds. 

The  natives  acted  very  promptly  and  justly. 
They  burned  the  village  of  his  assailant,  who,  when 
he  fled  for  sanctuary  to  the  neighboring  Molenzyi 
tribe,  was  denied  by  them  that  usual  right,  and 
sent  back  to  Mr.  M.  for  punishment.    He  declined 


PIONEERING. 


227 


to  be  jailer  or  judge.  In  the  long  delay  of  appeal 
to  H.  B.  M.  Government,  Mr.  M.,  exasperated, 
forgot  his  respect  for  authority;  and  when  the 
British  consul  finally  appeared  native  enthusiasm 
had  cooled,  the  matter  had  been  smoothed  over, 
and  nothing  was  done,  much  to  the  loss  of  the 
prestige  of  white  power. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

BoNiTA,  \V.  C.  A.,  June  5,  '66. 

.  .  .  Poor  Mr.  Maclachlan  is  not  much  trouble, 
but  I  fear  he  will  be  a  long  time  getting  strong, 
unless  his  appetite  improves. 

I  have  been  pretty  well,  but  I  am  nearly  tired 
out  with  the  work  of  the  week  so  far. 

Last  Sabbath  evening,  at  the  close  of  rather  a 
late  monthly  concert,  one  of  our  men  came  rush- 
ing in  with  the  exclamation,  "  Mr.  Maclachlan  is 
killed !"  A  Krooman  then  brought  a  note  from 
Sune  stating  that  Mr.  M.  had  been  shot,  and  ask- 
ing that  Dr.  Nassau  would  come  over  immediately. 
The  men  had  been  waiting  nearly  an  hour  for 
church  to  close ! 

Five  men  quickly  put  the  boat  in  the  river,  and 
Dr.  N.  started  with  instruments  and  bandages,  etc., 
saying  he  would  bring  the  wounded  man  over  here 
if  he  could. 

After   crossing   to   the    factory   (Mr.    M.'s)    he 


228  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

learned  that  the  affray  had  taken  place  at  Mr. 
Morrison's,  some  two  miles  below. 

It  seems  that  Mr.  Maclachlan,  with  several  white 
men  from  a  vessel  on  its  way  to  Gaboon,  were 
spending  part  of  the  Sabbath  afternoon  at  Mr. 
Morrison's.  A  native  attempted  to  enter  the  fac- 
tory through  a  window,  and  Mr.  Maclachlan  said, 
"  Come  in  through  the  door,"  The  man  refused, 
and  the  Kroomen  were  ordered  to  put  him  out. 
He  resisted,  and  Mr.  Maclachlan  (I  think)  told  the 
Kroomen  to  take  his  spear  away.  In  drawing  it 
through  his  hand  the  flesh  was  torn,  and  the  man 
went  to  his  town  in  a  rage.  His  uncle  and  other 
relatives  came  back  soon  after  and  fired  his  gun, 
and  wounded  the  cooper  of  Mr.  Watkin's  vessel  in 
the  hand.  Mr.  W.  started  towards  the  town  with 
two  spears  in  his  hand  to  investigate ;    and  Mr. 

Maclachlan  and  a  Mr. ,  just  out  from  England, 

walked  after  Mr.  W.  to  try  to  dissuade  him  from 
attempting  to  interfere  with  angry  natives.  As 
Mr.  M.  turned  to  go  back  to  his  own  factory,  and 
they  were  walking  along  the  beach  arm  in  arm, 
Mr.  M.  heard  a  report  and  felt  something  like 
pebbles  striking  him,  and  said,  "  I  must  be  shot !" 
They  turned  back  to  the  house,  and  the  pain  soon 
became  severe.  Three  slugs  entered  his  back,  the 
upper  one  near  the  shoulder  being  the  most  pain- 
ful ;  and  that  shot  we  fear  is  a  piece  of  brass  rod. 
He  was  willing  to  have  the  pieces  cut  out,  but  did 


PIONEERING. 


229 


not  seem  able  to  bear  the  operation  when  Dr. 
Nassau  commenced  yesterday  morning. 

No  other  cause  of  offense  is  known  of,  and  the 
natives  generally  side  with  Mr.  Maclachlan. 

Dr.  Nassau  got  home  with  his  patient  about  one 
o'clock  Monday  morning,  and  we  put  him  in  our 
room,  as  the  only  one  that  would  do.  Dr.  Nassau 
and  I  are  in  the  study  agai<n,  with  the  floor  so 
crowded  that  it  is  difficult  to  move  in  any  direc- 
tion, and  nothing  that  can  be  moved  out. 

Mr.  M.  has  also  three  flesh-wounds  in  his  arms. 

To  add  to  our  perplexities,  we  have  a  new  cook 
who  is  just  learning;  and  Julia  has  been  sick  for 
a  week.  Ijawe  has  been  a  great  help  since  Julia 
took  sick  ;  but  I  am  sorry  that  she  leaves,— ron  her 
own  account  as  much  as  ours. 

Our  late  cook  and  Julia  quarreled,  and  we 
would  not  sustain  the  former's  rights  as  a  ;;/rt;^  / 
and  so  he  proposed  to  go  to  town.  No  one  ob- 
jected, and  the  gentleman  is  now  out  of  employ; 
but  we  are  all  good  friends.  Our  new  cook  is  slow, 
but  tries  to  learn,  and  is  very  reliable.  He  is  named 
Jumba,  or  Njumba,  a  member  of  our  inquiry  class. 
.  .  .  Ask  Ijawe  about  craw-fish,  or  shrimps  {ineha). 
She  can  clean  them,  and  Louisa  can  cook  them; 
and  I  think  you  will  like  to  eat  them.  They  are 
caught  on  Corisco,  but  I  never  knew  they  were 
eaten  until  a  few  weeks  ago.  Fry  them  in  butter, 
lard,  or  palm-oil.  Powdered  cracker  and  egg  make 
20* 


230 


CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 


them  go  farther.  I  wish  we  had  more  corn  to  send. 
Dr.  N.  told  the  people  last  night  to  bring  corn  this 
morning. 

Mrs.  Nassau  and  her  Corisco  friends,  both  white 
and  native,  were  sending  by  each  monthly  mail- 
boat  friendly  messages  and  little  gifts  of  food. 
There  is  a  great  variety  of  fish  at  both  Corisco  Bay 
and  the  Bonita  River,  but  the  large  fish  rather  pre- 
dominated in  the  waters  of  the  latter.  At  Corisco 
was  caught,  in  enormous  quantities,  a  small  fish 
{nyengele)  two  inches  long.  The  favorite  mode  of 
cooking  them  (and  indeed  all  meat)  was  to  tie  them 
up  in  plantain-leaves,  with  a  little  water,  salt,  Cay- 
enne pepper-pods,  and  bruised  oily  nuts  {ndika)\ 
and  this  bundle  (called  joniba)  was  then  heated  on 
hot  coals. 

In  our  itinerations,  investigations  in  the  huts  of 
the  natives  often  revealed  new  articles  of  food,  which 
sometimes  were  tasty,  and  thence  added  in  con- 
stant use  to  our  own  tables. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

Benita,  June  27,  '66. 
Wednesday  night. 

Please  to  send  me  2,  joniba  of  iijciigC/c,  if  they  are 
in  season.  Isese  will  put  me  up  one,  I  think;  just 
a  little  iidika  in  it.     I  have  been  wanting  ever  since 


PIONEERING. 


231 


we  came  up  here,  but  they  do  not  grow  in  these 
parts.  .  .  .  Mr.  Maclachlan  has  gone  to  his  house, 
but  comes  over  to  breakfast,  and  has  his  wounds 
dressed. 

My  washerwomen  are  quite  irregular  since  gar- 
den-making time  has  come  round,  but  promise  to 
do  better  soon. 

I  am  very  well,  and  get  too  tired  only  on  Mon- 
day and  Tuesday.  ...  I  wish  I  had  corn  for  you ; 
but  what  comes  is  generally  too  old  the  day  we 
buy  it,  and  would  not  be  soft  enough  to  send  on  a 
three  days'  journey.  Indeed,  we  have  none  now, 
and  it  comes  but  seldom.  .  .  . 

"  Thou,  solemn  ocean,  lollest  to  the  strand, 
Laden  with  prayers  from  many  a  far-off  land. 

Through  all  thy  myriad  tones  that  never  cease 
We  hear  of  death  and  love,  the  Cross  and  Peace; 
New  churches  bright  with  hope  and  glad  with  psalms 
And  martyrs'  palms." 


232 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

LITTLE    PAULL. 

1866,  1867.     Benita. 

"And  on  his  angel  brow 
I  see  it  written,  '  Thou  shall  see  me  (here  /'  " 

A  SUNBEAM,  that  came  to  lighten  the  only  shadow- 
in  the  Benita  home,  —  to  answer  Faith's  prayer, — 
to  show  to  brutal  heathen  hearts  the  beauty  and 
dignity  of  a  perfect  Christian  family,  —  and  then 
flitted  to  the  mountain-tops,  to  lead  thought  and 
eye  and  hope  up  and  beyond. 

He  came  to  waiting  lips  that  had  asked  the 
benison  of  his  presence.  Thus  had  a  mother 
mused:  "Buying  for  the  baby  always  saddens  me, 
especially  anything  that  it  will  not  need  for  a  ic\w 
months.  It  seems  as  though  I  felt  too  sure  of  the 
little  life.  Oh,  I  hope  it  will  live !  My  little  one! 
my  blessed  child !  Even  if  it  should  not,  it  is 
pleasant  thinking,  talking  of,  and  preparing  for  it 
beforehand.  Long  before  I  went  to  Bonita,  in  my 
regular  Bible- readings,  I  would  stop  at  an  occa- 
sional verse  that  seemed  to  hold  for  me  the  promise 
of  another  little  life  that  might  shed  some  happi- 


LITTLE  PAULL.  233 

ness  on  ours.  I  know  there  is  a  great  deal  said 
about  its  being  wrong  to  have  children  in  Africa. 
I  do  not  know, — I  tried  to  find  something  in  the 
Bible, — I  prayed  for  teaching,  but  perhaps  my 
wishes  misled ;  but  I  could  find  only  in  God's 
Word  that  children  were  a  blessing.  After  Willie 
went  away,  I  longed  so  for  the  baby  voice,  the 
baby  hands  and  feet,  that  I  asked  of  our  tender 
Heavenly  Father  to  send  me  another  little  baby,  if 
it  was  His  holy  will.  I  think,  I  trust  I  always 
prayed,  '  If  in  accordance  with  Thy  will.'  This  is 
why  I  seemed  to  see  the  promise,  because  I  had 
prayed.  Oh,  it  is  so  sweet  to  say  in  my  heart, 
^ My  baby,'  when  there  is  neither  father  nor  mother, 
sister  or  brother,  that  I  can  call  my  own !" 

And  so  when,  a  gift  from  God,  he  came  where 
everything  spoke  of  sainted  George  Paull, — George 
PauU's  Station, — under  George  Paull's  roof, — in 
the  only  room  George  Paull  had  completed,  no 
other  name  was  thought  of  but  "  Paull;"  it  was  a 
baptism  itself 

Down  the  swift  current  of  the  Bonita,  as  of 
other  rivers  on  the  coast,  are  swept  floating  islands 
of  interlaced  rushes,  tangled  vines,  and  water-lilies 
that,  clinging  to  some  projecting  log  from  the 
marshy  bank,  had  gathered  the  sand  and  mud  of 
successive  freshets,  and  gave  a  precarious  footing 
for  the  Pandanus,  whose  wiry  roots  bound  all  in 
one  compact  mass.     Then  some  flood  had  torn 


234  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

that  mass  away,  and  the  Pandanus  still  waving  its 
long  bayonet-like  leaves,  convolvuli  still  climbing 
and  blooming,  and  birds  still  nesting  trustfully, 
the  floating  island  glided  past  native  eyes  down 
the  stream,  out  over  the  bar,  and  on  toward  the 
horizon  of  broad  ocean.  What  beyond  ?  Native 
superstition  said  that  at  the  bottom  of  the  "  Great 
Sea"  was  White-man's  Land;  that  thither  their 
own  departed  found  their  happy  future,  exchanging 
a  dusky  skin  for  a  white  one ;  that  there,  white 
man's  magic  skill  at  will  created  the  beads  and 
cloth  and  endless  wealth  that  came  from  that  un- 
known land  in  ships,  in  whose  masts  and  rigging 
and  sails  were  recognized  the  transformed  trees 
and  vines  and  leaves  of  those  floating  islands. 

When,  on  the  12th  of  July,  1866,  a  few,  with 
hushed  step  and  bated  breath,  came  to  look  on 
little  new-born  Paull, — the  only  white  child  most 
of  the  community  had  seen,  and  the  first-born 
in  that  region, — they  said,  "  Now  our  hopes  are 
dead.  Dying,  we  had  hoped  to  become  like  you. 
But,  verily,  ye  are  born  as  we." 

The  babe's  simple  presence  had  done  more  to 
dissipate  a  superstition,  than  had  oft-repeated 
assertion  and  instruction  from  older  lips. 

The  frame  house,  whose  erection  as  an  addition 
to  Mr.  PauU's  bamboo  had  been,  under  unskilled, 
native  hands,  going  on  for  two  months,  though 
roofed  and  enclosed  and  floored,  had  no  complete 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


235 


room  for  little  Paull's  reception.  So  we  were  back 
again  in  the  crowded  study,  until  a  room  could  be 
completed. 

Before  he  was  a  month  old  his  mother  bravely- 
accepted  the  necessity  of  being  alone  for  a  few 
days  while  I  went  to  Hanje  and  Aje  on  an  out- 
station  inspection  that  circumstances  made  impera- 
tive at  that  time. 

Prudent  forethought  had  provided  a  goat  for  any 
emergency  requiring  fresh  milk ;  but  one  night  a 
leopard  broke  through  the  shed  where  the  animal 
was  tied,  and,  gnawing  off  her  neck  behind  the 
rope,  carried  away  the  body.  .  .  . 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    MISS    I.    A.    NASSAU. 

BoNiTA,  W.  A.,  Aug.  13,  1866. 

Hamill  and  the  mail  both  leave  this  evening, 
and  Paull  and  I,  Mrs.  Thompson  and  the  children 
will  be  left  to  ourselves  for  a  few  days.  Not  much 
time  to  get  lonesome,  you  will  think,  with  such  a 
company  as  that. 

I  suppose  Paull's  father  has  told  you  about  his 
goodness  and  sweetness,  as  he  seems  to  think  him 
the  dearest  little  baby  that  ever  was.  .  .  .  When 
Paull  was  only  three  days  old,  Mrs.  T.  was  taken 
sick,  and  the  fourth  day,  I  sat  up  in  bed  to  wash 
and  dress  him,  his  father  handing  me  the  things. 
I  have  washed  him   ever  since,  but  Mrs.  T.  was 


236  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

able  to  give  me  some  assistance  after  a  few  days. 
If  Paull  had  not  been  such  a  good  baby,  I  do  not 
know  how  we  could  have  got  along.  He  had 
colic  occasionally  while  we  remained  in  the  bam- 
boo house,  as  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  keep 
out  the  cold  draughts  of  air.  With  a  fire  burning 
day  and  night  in  my  room,  it  was  very  rarely  that 
I  felt  the  heat  uncomfortable.  Although  the  dry 
season,  we  had  rain  every  day  but  one  until  Paull 
was  two  weeks  old.  .  .  .  He  looks  well,  and  has 
rosy  cheeks. 

The  missionary  company  on  Corisco  being  re- 
duced in  August  by  the  final  return  of  Mrs.  Clemens 
to  America,  at  the  usual  quarterly  journey  in  Sep- 
tember Mrs.  Nassau  accompanied  on  a  trying  and 
(by  theft,  storm,  and  loss  of  anchor)  disastrous 
voyage  to  Corisco,  where  she  remained  to  assist 
her  friend,  Mrs.  Clark;  and  I  returned  to  Benita 
to  see  to  the  embarkation  for  Liberia  of  Mrs. 
Thompson,  whose  term  of  contract  had  expired. 
And  then  a  sickness  of  Paull  recalhng  me  to 
Corisco,  the  Benita  house  was  closed  for  several 
weeks. 

MRS.    NASSAU    TO    MISS    I.    A.    NASSAU. 

Corisco,  W.  A.,  Oct.  20,  1866. 
Evangasimba,  Sat.  night. 

The  care  of  Paull,  who  does  not  fancy  the  chil- 
dren, a  little  sewing,  a  little  feverishness,  and  the 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


237 


few  letters  I  felt  obliged  to  write  before  com- 
mencing yours,  have  not  left  me  as  much  time  as 
I  could  wish.  ...  It  would  do  you  good  to  see 
him,  such  a  fat,  hearty  little  fellow  as  he  is.  ,  .  , 

Monday  morning. — The  first  day  that  we  spent 
ashore  on  our  journey  down  was  quite  a  trying 
one  for  PauU  and  me.  The  first  house  into  which 
we  entered  was  soon  filled  by  natives  anxious  to 
see  the  white  baby,  and  quite  a  discussion  ensued, 
principally  in  regard  to  matters  previous  to  his 
birth.  Some  of  our  boatmen  informed  the  Bapuku 
people  that  white  people  did  not  talk  much  of  such 
things,  and  accordingly  no  questions  were  asked 
me. 

The  women  were  very  much  pleased  to  see  that 
PauU  derived  his  nourishment  in  the  same  manner 
as  their  babies,  and  they  exclaimed  several  times, 
"  A  woman  like  unto  us  !"  "  A  woman  as  our- 
selves !" 

The  house  was  very  close,  and  when  Paull  went 
to  sleep  I  asked  for  another  place  where  he  might 
sleep  undisturbed  by  the  bad  air  or  noise  of  talk- 
ing. There  were  three  other  houses  in  the  village, 
and  a  young  man  unlocked  one  for  us,  which  was 
probably  owned  by  the  absent  headman.  Just  as 
I  prepared  to  lay  him  down,  the  "  driver"  ants 
were  discovered  all  around,  and  that  would  not 
do.  The  third  house  waB  occupied  by  a  woman 
cooking,  so  we  were  conducted  to  a  fourth.     In  it 


238  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

was  a  fire,  and  a  sick  woman  on  a  bed  near  by ;  so 
I  carried  the  baby  back  to  the  first  place,  where  he 
managed  to  sleep  a  few  minutes.  It  seemed  too 
warm  to  stay  in  the  house,  and  too  sunny  to  stay 
outside ;  but  the  "  headman,"  who  soon  came  in 
fi'om  "  the  bush,"  hung  up  a  large  boat-sail,  which 
made  an  agreeable  shelter  while  we  could  have  it 
to  ourselv^es.  Ham  ill  must  have  had  a  pleasanter 
time,  looking  for  the  missing  anchor,  tlian  I  had 
in  doing  nothing, — that  is,  if  you  call  it  nothing  to 
amuse  a  baby  that  will  not  sleep.  PauU  would 
not  stay  with  either  of  the  two  little  girls  in  our 
company,  and  while  I  played  with  him  several 
women  gathered  round  to  ask  questions. 

One  woman  asked  whether  scalding  water  was 
poured  over  me  when  my  child  was  born,  and 
seemed  rather  surprised,  to  learn  we  had  not  that 
custom.  The  young  mothers  would  think  it  a 
wise  omission,  for  they  societimes  find  the  water 
too  hot,  and  are  quite  instead  of  nearly  scalded. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

CoRisco,  W.  A.,  Nov.  21,  i866. 

Master  George  Paull  is  well  and  thriving;  and 
his  father  and  mother  are, — at  least  the  former, — 
but  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  get  back  to  our  home 
and  work  at  Bonita.  I«cnjoy  visiting  Mrs.  Clark, 
because  I  can  be  so  perfectly  at  home. 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


239 


Mrs.  Thompson  left  last  month,  and  I  know  I 
shall  miss  her,  for  she  was  very  faithful  in  all  her 
allotted  work.  I  shall  now  have  the  privilege  of 
doing  my  own  scolding,  instead  of  checking  her 
for  dealing  reproofs  on  all  sides  with  a  very  un- 
sparing tongue.  When  any  great  accident  occurred 
through  the  cook's  carelessness,  I  usually  turned 
to  her  first  with  an  admonition  to  be  quiet;  where- 
upon she  always  declared  that  she  had  not  in- 
tended to  say  a  word. 

Early  in  December,  after  the  birth  of  Willie 
Clark,  as  we  were  about  to  return  to  the  Bonita,  a 
half-grown  heifer  was  obtained  from  Gaboon,  and 
taken  in  the  boat  with  us.  On  "  Wana"  were  laid 
our  hopes  for  PauU's  safety.  Not  that  he  was  sick 
then,  or  in  need;  but  we  remembered  our  Willie's 
starvation,  and  were  making  provision  for  emer- 
gency. There  were  no  domestic  cattle  at  either 
Corisco  or  Benita, — though  wild  oxen  are  common 
on  the  mainland, — but  at  the  Gaboon  mission,  and 
with  the  French,  there  were  a  few  cows  brought 
from  five  hundred  miles  south,  at  St.  Paul  de 
Loanda,  descendants  of  the  stock  probably  im- 
ported a  hundred  years  ago  by  the  Portuguese. 


240 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

BoxiTA,  January,  1867. 

My  bread  ought  to  be  made  out,  and  my  baby 
is  ready  to  be  washed,  but  here  arc  a  few  Hncs  for 
you,  I  have  not  much  time  these  days.  ]\Iy 
three  half-grown  girls  require  a  person  to  keep 
them  in  work  and  out  of  mischief,  and  I  am  the 
only  person  to  watch  them,  and  help  the  cook,  etc. 

Mrs.  Clark  and  her  baby  are  well,  and  our  little 
Paull  grows  nicely.  .  .  .  PauU  is  losing  his  rosy 
cheeks.  I  put  him  in  short  clothes  on  Saturday ; 
he  was  six  months  old  then. 

A  very  dangerous  dysentery  that  seized  Mrs. 
Nassau  in  the  early  part  of  February,  1867,  re- 
quired Paull  to  be  kept  away  from  her.  This, 
which  would  be  an  affliction  to  almost  any  child, 
was  providentially  relieved  for  him  by  a  remark- 
able forgetfulness  of  her.  During  four  days  he 
did  not  see  her ;  ate  other  food, — panada,  or  rice- 
starch,  or  corn-starch, — and  did  not  cry  much, 
except  when  my  unskillful  arms  gave  him  his 
morning  and  evening  washing  and  dressing. 
When  the  violence  of  his  mother's  disease  was 
past,  and  we  thought  to  save  for  him  his  natural 
nourishment,  he  did  not  know  her,  and  would  not, 
until  forced,  take  it. 

The  compulsion   was    not   well.     Himself  was 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


241 


seized  with  the  same  disease,  and  it  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  weary  path  that  led  to  a  bitter  end.  Cut 
off  finally  from  his  natural  nourishment,  he  re- 
fused, or  ate  without  being  satisfied,  the  only  arti- 
ficial foods  we  happened  to  have  at  Benita.  There 
were  desiccated  milk  and  canned  milk  in  the  mis- 
sion storehouse,  fifty  miles  away.  To  get  it  I 
could  have  walked  that  far  along  the  beach,  but 
the  last  seventeen  miles  lay  across  the  bay.  Tribal 
feuds  between  the  Kombe,  Bapuku,  and  Benga 
had  become  so  intense  that  the  mail-boat  ceased  to 
come ;  and  my  Kombe  people,  though  kind 
enough  and  profuse  enough  in  expressions  of  pity, 
were  too  cowardly  to  have  even  their  cupidity 
aroused  by  tempting  wages  and  offered  rewards 
for  a  crew  to  go  to  Corisco  for  the  milk  that  lay 
there  in  abundance,  while  little  Paull  was  crying 
for  hunger,  or  sickening  on  improper  food.  Of 
the  usual  numbers  of  goats  there  was  none,  though 
messengers  were  sent  repeatedly  throughout  the 
region  in  search.  Leopards  had  swept  them  away. 
One  day  early  in  March  two  Christians  were 
sent  across  the  river,  to  the  Mbini  factor,  a  colored 
trader,  Mr,  Brew.  He  almost  always  had  goats 
for  fresh  meat,  and  would  give  me,  if  he  had  any. 
I  did  not  send  to  the  other  English  factor,  Mr. 
Sutherland,  as  I  knew  he  was,  just  then,  in  as  great 
personal  want  as  we.  They  returned  with  word 
that  Mr.  Brew  had  none,  but  that  he  had  tried  to 


242 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


get  one  (that  had  recently  kidded)  from  a  native 
living  near  him,  and  that  the  native  refused.  The 
highest  current  price  for  such  a  goat  was  five  dol- 
lars. The  messengers  were  sent  back  on  the  spot 
to  the  native  to  offer  him  fifty  dollars  for  the  use 
of  the  milk,  if  not  for  the  purchase  of  the  animal. 
They  returned,  their  eyes  flashing  indignation,  as 
they  brought  the  spiteful  reply  that  he  would 
neither  loan  nor  sell  to  me. 

There  came  thoughts  of  Judson,  manacled,  car- 
rying his  babe  from  hut  to  hut,  begging  Burmese 
breasts. 

Mrs.  Nassau  heard  of  a  sheep,  in  the  adjoining 
village,  belonging  to  a  native  Christian  woman, 
whose  husband  was  also  a  Christian,  which  had 
recently  had  two  lambs,  and  she  sent  for  the  hus- 
band. We  asked  him  for  the  use  of  the  milk  ; 
and,  willing  to  give  play  to  Christian  kindness,  if 
it  existed,  did  not  offer  a  price,  though  intimating 
that  he  should  be  rewarded,  It  was  sickening! 
He  did  not  respond.  But,  presently,  quietly  say- 
ing, "  Mbi  ka  yaictc"  (I  will  see),  left  the  house. 
Mbi  ka  yenete  was  ordinarily  understood  to  be  an 
evasion  when  one  did  not  like  flatly*  to  say,  "  No." 

Human  resource  had  failed.  "  Oh,  God  !  wilt 
not  Thou  help  ?" 

Next  morning  a  bleat  was  heard  at  the  boat- 
landing,  and  presently  Mr.  Sutherland  came  to  the 
door  leading  a  large  female  goat,  and  asked  its  ac- 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


243 


ceptance  as  a  gift,  saying  that  it  had  just  the  day 
before  come  to  him  for  purchase,  and,  hearing  of 
our  necessity,  he  had  hastened  over  with  it. 

"We  thank  Thee,  O  God,  for  what  thou  hast 
sent !"  Scut?  It  shall  be  her  name.  And  "  Lom- 
wengo"  soon  learned  she  had  the  privilege  of  the 
house,  and,  as  petted  mistress  of  the  premises,  ruled 
heavily  whatever  animals  were  afterward  introduced. 

The  owner  of  the  sheep  brought  her  for  use, 
during  the  interval  of  a  week,  until  LomwCngo 
kidded,  and  would  take  no  compensation,  though 
his  lambs  suffered  in  depriving  them  for  our  lamb. 

My  return  in  April  from  the  usual  mission- 
meeting  was  signalized  by  a  cheering  visit  from 
Mrs.  De  Heer  to  Mrs.  Nassau  ;  and  the  boat  being 
laden  with  abundant  provisions  from  the  recently- 
arrived  "  Edith  Rose," — desiccated  milk  and  boxes 
of  delicacies  from  private  friends  in  America, — 
health  was  strengthened  by  these  gleams  of  friend- 
ship and  reminders  of  affection ;  and  we  were  flat- 
tered by  the  hope  that  little  PauU  would,  in  spite 
of  that  crown  of  suffering  and  the  oncoming  teeth, 
regain  his  rosy  cheeks  and  plump  legs.  These 
comforts  at  Benita  and  Corisco,  and  the  addition  of 
missionary  aid  at  Evangasimba, — Rev.  S.  and  Mrs. 
Reutlinger,  who  had  come  in  February,  and  who 
were  trying  to  revive  the  Maluku  school, — made 
the  mission  heart  beat  lighter. 

New  goats  came  in  from  distant  tribes,  and  by 


244 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


July,  when  a  nurse — Mrs.  Sneed — in  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son's place,  arrived  from  Liberia,  Mrs.  Nassau  had 
aid,  and  PauU  more  milk  than  he  could  use. 

The  dry  season  —  usually,  by  its  coolness,  the 
most  healthy  for  foreigners — was  trying  to  us,  and 
especially  to  our  little  one.  The  mortality  among 
the  natives  was  great.  Springs  and  streams,  that 
had  not  previously  failed,  dried,  and  we  used  water 
whose  impurity  was  not  fully  appreciated  until, 
recognizing,  too  late  for  little  Paull,  its  aggravation 
of  the  disease  which  had  never  entirely  left  him, 
we  abandoned  entirely  the  Upwanjo  dark  springs, 
and  even  the  Haie  Creek  across  the  prairie,  and 
found  at  Bolondo,  two  miles  up  the  river,  a  clear 
little  forest  rivulet,  whence  our  water  was  ever  after 
carried  by  canoe  in  kegs,  or  along  the  beach  in 
jugs  on  men's  shoulders. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    THE    MISSES    M,   AND    M.   A.  LATTA. 

BoNiTA,  W.  A.,  July  27,  '67. 

Paull  has  a  bad  cold  and  four  swollen  gums, 
though  I  believe  one  of  the  teeth  has  come  through. 
Still,  you  may  know  he  is  very  fretful,  and  hangs 
on  me.  .  .  .  The  most  important  news  to  you  is 
that  we  have  a  woman  from  Liberia  to  assist  with 
the  baby  and  house.  It  is  ]\Irs.  Sneed,  whose 
daughter  Charity  you  saw  with  Mrs.  Ogden ;  and 
Charity  goes  to  Mr.  Clark. 


LITTLE  PAULL.  245 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    HER    HUSBAND. 

Oct.,  1867. 

Paull  is  nervous,  and  cries  easily,  but  takes  great 
delight  in  his  rides.  ...  I  sent  Mr.  Sutherland  a 
piece  of  the  chicken-pie  we  had  for  dinner,  and  a 
bowl  of  beans,  with  a  few  plantains.  He  told 
Makendenge  he  was  ready  to  dance  for  joy,  as  he 
had  tasted  nothing  to-day  until  that  fowl  came.  I 
sent  Mr.  Brew  a  little  stewed  kid  and  stewed 
mango,  with  my  best  biscuit,  and  one  orange. 

The  little  one  was  fading  away,  and  growing 
more  beautiful  as  he  faded ;  for  an  infant  he  often 
evinced  a  strange  love  of  beauty  by  stopping  his 
bearer  on  a  ramble  and  insisting  on  having  a  flower 
which  older  eyes  had  not  detected ;  and  in  public 
worship  showing  his  satisfaction  with  music.  While 
too  young  to  sit  quietly  during  the  reading  or 
prayer,  he  would,  as  soon  as  the  hymn  began,  tod- 
dle back  to  his  mother,  and  laying  his  head  bash- 
fully, with  a  satisfied  look,  on  her  lap,  lie  so, 
crooning  until  the  hymn  was  done.  His  most 
constant  attendant  was  a  young  girl,  Aka,  to  whom 
Mrs,  Nassau  was  tenderly  attached  by  the  girl's 
exceptional  care  for,  and  interest  in,  the  white 
baby. 


246  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

Bknita,  W.  a.,  Nov.  9,  1867. 

Since  the  timely  arrival  of  Mrs.  Sneed  I  have 
had  more  time  and  more  strength  for  writing  than 
when  dependent  on  a  few  careless  children  for 
help  about  the  house  and  baby.  .  ,  .  He  cannot 
talk,  but  makes  his  wishes  very  plainly  understood 
by  grunts  and  finger-pointings.  Whenever  ready 
for  sleep,  he  throws  himself  back  and  begins  to 
fan. himself  by  shaking  the  end  of  his  night-gown 
or  apron  or  whatever  he  catches  first,  meaning 
that  the  person  holding  him  must  continue  the 
fanning.  Several  times  lately  Mrs.  Sneed  has  been 
shaking  the  skirt  of  his  dress  while  he  was  on  my 
lap,  and  PauU  would  pull  it  out  of  her  hand  and 
give  it  to  me  to  shake.  If  I  try  to  fan  him  when 
he  wants  to  eat  or  go  out,  he  will  gather  up  the 
skirt  of  his  dress  and  hold  it  tight  with  one  hand, 
and  look  or  point  towards  the  pantry,  or  out  of 
doors. 

MRS.   NASSAU    TO    THE   SAME. 

Benita,  W.  A.,  Dec.  11,  1867. 
.  .  .  We  have  two  goats  giving  milk  now,  and 
three  more  that  will  be  giving  soon.  He  will 
touch  nothing  but  milk,  and  sometimes  a  little 
tea.  .  .  .  One  night  Mrs.  Sneed  brought  it  in  a 
mug  instead  of  his  little  tin  cup,  and  he  would  not 


LITTLE  PAULL.  247 

give  her  the  bottle  until  she  had  poured  the  milk 
into  his  tin  cup,  from  which  it  is  usually  poured 
into  the  bottle. 

Well  that  the  inevitable  is  veiled !  But  how 
unthinkingly  we  tread  near  graves !  Only  two 
days  before  Paull's  was  to  be  made,  in  sending  off 
the  monthly  mail-boat,  on  December  11,  when  he 
was  seventeen  months  old,  we  wrote :  "  Paull  has 
been  having  a  long,  hard  time  with  his  teeth.  He 
is  cutting  the  fourteenth,  and  they  have  made  him 
very  thin.  I  hope  he  may  now  have  a  respite  from 
them,  in  which  he  may  recover  flesh  and  strength, 
for  I  have  plenty  of  goat's  milk  to  feed  him  on. 
Without  it  I  do  not  think  he  would  have  borne 
the  exhausting  process  thus  long." 

And  on  the  13th  of  December  he  died. 

A  few  months  later  Mrs.  Nassau  wrote  to  Mrs. 
Preston,  of  Gaboon,  who  had  finally  returned  to 
America  in  health  so  broken  that  she  was  not 
expected  to  recover : 

"  When  you  hear  of  the  death  of  little  Paull,  you 
will  feel  sorry  that  you  never  held  him  in  your 
arms ;  but  when  you  meet  my  baby  in  Heaven, 
robed  in  a  shining  dress,  all  purified  from  earthly 
dross,  there  will  be  no  room  for  such  sorrow.  I 
would  have  kept  him  if  I  could.  It  was  hard  to 
give  up  my  gentle,  loving  baby  ;  and  yet  I  would 
not  have  kept  him  against  my  Father's  will.     As 


248  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Mr.  Mackey  said  of  Mr.  Paull,  '  Qod  never  makes 
mistakes.'  We  all  thought  Paull  a  smart  baby, 
although  at  seventeen  months  he  could  not  speak 
a  word.  When  a  year  old  he  tried  to  walk,  but 
never  accomplished  it  alone.  He  had  a  remarkably 
quick  eye  and  ear ;  and,  though  he  did  not  know 
the  meaning  of  words,  he  understood,  from  the 
look  and  tone,  a  great  deal  that  was  said  to  him. 
He  took  the  bottle  to  the  last,  and  would  rarely 
touch  anything  but  milk,  excepting,  when  he  saw 
Mrs.  Sneed  at  the  table,  he  always  wanted  to  go 
and  get  a  share  of  her  tea.  When  he  had  finished 
his  bottle,  and  wanted  more,  he  always  held  on  to 
the  empty  bottle  until  he  saw  Mrs.  Sneed  coming 
with  his  little  tin,  and  then  he  would  yield  up  his 
treasure  to  be  refilled.  If  he  fretted  for  milk  at 
night  when  none  was  prepared,  I  had  only  to  raise 
my  voice  and  call,  '  Mrs.  Sneed !'  and  he  would  lie 
quiet  until  she  came  down,  got  the  milk,  and 
brought  it  to  him. 

"  He  was  a  very  gentle,  loving  child  ;  and  the 
few  times  that  he  showed  a  disposition  to  disobey, 
and  I  spoke  to  him  decidedly, — not  at  all  severely, 
— he  cried  as  though  his  heart  would  break.  His 
disease  was  chronic  diarrhoea,  caused,  as  we  now 
know,  by  the  water  we  were  in  the  habit  of  drink- 
ing until  a  few  months  before  his  death.  We  have 
our  drinking-water  brought  now  a  distance  of  two 
miles  ;  but  I  suppose  the  change  was  made  too  late 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


249 


for  our  baby.  He  was  very  thin,  but  had  cut  twelve 
teeth,  and  we  hoped  when  the  stomach-  and  eye- 
teeth  were  through  that  he  would  improve.  The 
beginning  of  October  he  was  very  ill  for  ten  days  ; 
but  we  considered  him  out  of  danger  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  and  kept  hoping,  hoping  for  the  best, 
even  while  we  saw  his  flesh  and  strength  did  not 
come  back.  The  day  before  he  died  I  had  him 
out  on  the  beach  to  ride,  and  he  enjoyed  it  much 
in  his  quiet  way.  That  night  I  hoped  he  would 
sleep  well,  but  he  was  very  restless,  so  that  Mrs. 
Sneed  came  down  twice  in  the  night  to  help  me 
quiet  him.  In  the  morning  early  I  gave  him  to 
Mrs.  S.,  and  tried  to  get  another  nap;  but  after 
awhile  I  heard  Paull  moaning  strangely,  and  occa- 
sionally screaming  out.  I  got  up  and  took  him, 
and  he  seemed  sick  at  the  stomach  as  well  as  in 
pain,  and  we  tried  some  remedies  to  relieve  him. 
In  a  little  time  I,  having  returned  him  to  Mrs.  S., 
went  to  dress.  And  then  his  father  took  him  to 
hand  to  me,  after  I  had  dressed  and  we  both  had 
eaten  something.  Paull  seemed  a  little  easier,  but 
a  short  time  after  I  took  him  his  mouth  moved 
convulsively,  and  I  began  to  fear  my  baby  was 
dying.  I  didn't  speak,  only  felt  for  his  pulse;  it 
was  gone.  In  a  few  minutes  his  father  asked,  '  Is 
he  dying  ?'  and  I  answered  very  quietly,  '  I  should 
not  be  surprised.'  Another  gasp,  and  my  baby's 
spirit  went  back  to  God  the  Giver. 

22 


250 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


"I  dressed  him  myself  for  the  last  sleep,  and  his 
father  made  the  little  coffin.  How  sweetly  he 
looked ! 

"  We  buried  him  in  an  open  space  not  very  far 
from  the  back  of  the  house.  The  spot  is  enclosed 
on  three  sides  by  forest  trees,  but  looking  under 
the  branches  of  one  tree  we  can  see  /rom  our  door 
the  little  grave.  I  do  not  think  it  will  disturb  any 
future  resident ;  the  view  can  easily  be  cut  off. 

"  What  need  to  speak  of  my  sorrow  ?  The  lone- 
liness must  cling  to  my  heart,  and  yet  I  try  to  be 
glad  for  my  precious  child  that  was  so  soon  taken 
to  the  Saviour's  arms.  He  has  found  now  there  is 
something  better  even  for  him  than  mother's  heart 
on  which  he  loved  to  lie,  or  mother's  face  and  voice 
for  which  he  used  to  watch  and  listen  when  I  left 
him  for  a  little  while." 

MRS.    NASSAU   TO    MRS.    REV.    W.    H.    CLARK. 

Benita,  Dec.  31,  1S67. 

You  have  heard  of  our  sorrow,  and  there  is  little 
more  to  add.  As  day  by  day  goes  by,  I  miss  my 
baby-boy,  but  I  know  that  he  has  gone  to  a  better 
country ;  and  I  pray  God  to  give  me  contentment. 
I  am  thankful  to  have  had  for  seventeen  months 
such  a  light  and  joy  in  our  household.  Shall  I 
murmur  that  the  Giver  reclaims  the  gift? 

I  have  always  felt  that  mothers  should  not  mourn 


LITTLE  PAULL. 


251 


too  deeply  the  little  ones  gone  to  glory,  and  I  still 
feel  the  same.  "  It  is  well."  May  a  kind  Father 
spare  your  little  flock. 

It  was  the  first  grave  at  Benita.  True,  from  the 
rear-door  of  the  frame  house  "the  little  grave" 
could  be  seen.  But  he  did  not  lie  there.  The 
frightful  customs  of  a  heathen  land  did  not  let 
even  the  little  thin  wearied  limbs  rest  in  peace. 

When  the  entire  funeral  company  had  dispersed, 
on  the  evening  of  the  13th  of  December,  1867, 
two  Christians  returned  to  me  secretly,  and  in 
suppressed  voice  said,  "Doctor  Nassau,  never  tell 
who  warned  you,  but  we  warn  you  to  watch  the 
grave." 

"  Why  ?"  They  were  reluctant  to  tell.  My 
horrible  suspicions  insisted. 

"  It  may  be  spoiled." 

"  Surely,  none  here  would  do  so." 

"No,  not  just  here,  nor  to-day;  but  other  peo- 
ple, and  after  awhile." 

I  kept  their  secret  from  every  soul ;  and  no 
native  knows  it  to-day.  Natives  cannot  keep  a 
white  man's  secret.  I  would  not  burden  Mrs. 
Nassau  with  what  was  so  terrible,  and  determined 
at  first,  secretly  and  alone,  to  remove  the  precious 
remains  to  an  unsuspected  spot.  But  though  I 
could  practice  on  others  the  fiction  of  visiting  the 
origina.1  grave,  I  dared  not  on  PauU's  mother,  and, 


2152 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


to  obtain  her  permission  for  the  removal,  was  com- 
pelled to  make  her  sharer  of  the  secret. 

And  the  grave  was  watched  nightly ;  but  not  by- 
natives,  not  even  the  trustiest.  In  a  spot  accus- 
tomed to  our  feet  in  daily  walks  and  recreations, 
and  that  therefore  could  be  visited  without  exciting 
suspicion,  I  dug,  after  twilight  some  days  later,  a 
new  grave.  And  there,  in  the  moonless  night,  nor 
daring  to  bear  a  light,  reckless  of  beast  of  prey, 
we  two,  with  superhuman  strength,  disinterred  and 
reinterred.  No  mound  was  made,  and  the  fresh 
earth  was  disguised.  Sacrilege  might  covet  the 
original  grave,  visited  daily  for  a  tearful  memory; 
thoughtless  footsteps  might  press  on  the  actual 
grave,  visited  as  regularly  in  recreation ;  but  our 
secret  was  safe  with  ourselves. 

The  two  natives'  secret  was  kept ;  and  we  bore 
the  burden  of  our  own.  For  years  no  fellow-mis- 
sionary knew  it.  And  no  native  knows  it  till 
to-day.  Even  the  final  removal  to  the  present 
cemetery,  open  and  by  native  hands,  was  accom- 
plished as  if  from  the  origmal  grave  in  which  I, 
for  the  occasion,  had  replaced  the  remains.  It 
mattered  nothing  to  little  Paull.  He  was  at  rest. 
But  that  there  should  have  been  necessity  for  it 
was  almost  crazing.  That  night  compressed  the 
weight  and  marks  of  years.  Mrs.  Nassau  never 
referred  to  it  until  a  year  later,  when  the  marbles 
came  from  America  and  were  set  up  in  the  ceme- 


LITTLE  PAULL.  253 

tery.     Then  she  was  satisfied,  and  her  little  Paull 
was  rested. 

It  was  pleasant  then  to  sit  on  his  real  grave  at 
the  sunset  hour  in  the  cemetery  so  near  the  sea, 
and  find  in  its  ceaseless  breakings  on  the  Mbade 
rocks  beyond,*  and  in  the  long  sigh  of  the  light 
waves  in  the  Upwanjo  Cove,  a  response  to  our  own 
spirits.  And  with  those  sea-murmurings  there 
seemed  to  come  a  response,  even  out  of  the  Past, 
in  a  little  child's  voice  that  was  startling  in  its  re- 
cognition. Was  it  little  Paull  that  spoke  ?  Or  the 
sea  ?     What  were  those  waves  saying  ? 

"Gone!" 

And  the  long  sigh  from  the  Cove  echoed, — 
^_,    "Home!" 

Sighing,  sighing;  echoing  and  re-echoing  in 
dying  cadences, — 

"  Gone,  home, — C-o-m-e,  h-o-m-e  !" 

And  she  answered,  "  It  is  well." 


22* 


254 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

IN    THE   WILDERNESS. 

1866-1869.     Benita. 

"In  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by  mine  own  countrymen,  in 
perils  of  the  heathen,  in  perils  among  false  brethren." 

GIRLS    AND    TEACHING. 

In  the  varied  works  of  a  new  station,  Mrs.  Nassau 
tried  to  induce  the  native  girls  and  women  to  come 
for  instruction. 

She  could  have  had  a  large  boarding-school  of 
boys.  But,  aside  from  the  labor  to  herself,  it  was 
unnecessary  to  put  the  Church  to  the  expense  of 
finding  food  and  clothing  for  them,  as  would  be 
necessary  in  such  a  school,  while  they  were  so 
desirous  of  education  as  to  be  willing  to  come  to 
a  day-school  at  no  expense  to  the  mission.  Boys 
from  far  distances  made  visits  of  an  indefinite 
length  in  the  adjacent  villages  among  their  rela- 
tives and  connections  of  the  most  remote  kind, 
and,  with  commendable  regularity,  came  to  an 
afternoon  day-school.  At  noon  or  at  night,  or 
whenever  the  men  were  free  from  their  own  work 


\ 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  255 

of  fishing  or  mission  employ,  Mrs.  Nassau  would 
lay  aside  anything  else  and  hear  their  lessons. 

But  the  women,  burdened  with  the  mass  of 
work  that  falls  to  heathen  woman's  lot,  if  taught 
at  all,  had  to  be  visited  in  their  own  smoky  huts. 
And  girls  were  not  permitted  to  come  to  day- 
school.  Unlike  the  boys,  the  hold  of  their  parents, 
or  of  the  men  to  whom  they  were  betrothed,  was 
too  great,  unless  they  were  cut  off  from  it  by 
being  constantly  in  our  houses  and  entirely  under 
our  direction,  as  our  own  children.  Some  three 
or  four  were  always  thus  held  in  the  mission 
households,  even  when  there  was  no  formal  school. 
The  missionaries  on  Corisco  preferred  the  Kombe 
girls,  as,  by  the  distance,  there  were  few  relatives 
there  to  interfere  with  them. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK, 

BONITA,  W.  C.  A., 
Tues.,  Sept.  4,  1S66. 

.  .  .  Dr.  Nassau  has  spoken  to  Mambondo 
three  times  about  his  wife,  and  I  tried  to  get  her 
to  come  to  speak  to  me  in  town ;  but  you  will 
probably  not  see  that  child  this  time.  MakendengS 
reports  that  she  is  "thin  mete','  and  I  report,  from 
a  side  view,  that  she  is  not  promising-looking; 
but  flesh  on  the  bones,  and  a  skin  washed  off,  and 
a  dress  over  all  would  make  a  wonderful  difference. 


256  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND, 

Dr.  Nassau  has  just  sent  for  a  man  in  town  who 
has  two  wives,  and  viay  be  willing  to  spare  the 
younger.  She  has  not  occupied  the  position  oizvife, 
and  is  one  of  the  brightest-looking  girls  near  here. 
Girls  are  very  scarce.  I  know  of  no  one  whose 
husband  has  no  other  wife  excepting  those  who 
are  too  old  for  you.  I  know  that  Mr,  Clark  used 
to  object  to  taking  one  who  was  under  the  control 
of  a  polygamist;  but  what  else  can  be  done  in 
the  present  distress  ?  If  you  are  not  suited,  she 
can  come  back  with  us, — that  is,  if  Benge  lets  her 
go.     She  is  very  bright-looking. 

We  have  Ilina,,  a  "  little  wife,"  whose  husband 
lives  across  the  river ;  but  he  has  three  grown-up 
ones.  We  intended  to  send  her  home  during  our 
visit  to  Corisco ;  but  will  bring  her  down,  as  I 
think  she  may  be  useful.  She  is  one  of  the 
smartest  little  things  you  ever  saw,  and  not  afraid 
of  work. 

Poor  Ilina  became  so  elated  by  the  freedom  that 
lay  in  woman's  lot,  as  presented  in  the  life  of  the 
Christian  family  and  school,  that  she  unwisely 
made  her  polygamist  a  subject  of  ridicule,  and 
declared  she  would  never  live  with  him.  Even 
as  an  adult  woman,  she  would  have  had  (with 
only  rarest  exceptions)  no  power  to  carry  out  this 
threat.  Still  less  had  she  as  a  child.  The  sad 
story  of  her  short  stay  in   the  mission-house   is 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  257 

told  in  a  letter  of  Mrs.  Nassau  to  a  Philadelphia 
infant  Sabbath-school : 

"  In  my  first  letter  I  promised  to  write  again  and 
tell  you  of  a  little  girl  that  used  to  live  with  us,  and 
of  whom  I  was  very  fond. 

"  What  was  her  name  ?  Ilina.  What  does  that 
mean  ?  It  means  spirit,  or  soul.  Do  you  think  it 
a  pretty  name  for  a  pretty  little  girl  ?  Was  she 
pretty?  Yes,  and  smart,  too;  but  she  was  too 
fond  of  talking,  and  too  fond  of  having  her  own 
way,  which  two  things  brought  her  into  great 
trouble  at  last. 

"  '  Spirit'  was  about  eleven  years  old,  and  be- 
longed to  a  man  who  had  five  or  six  other  wives, 
of  whom  she  was  the  youngest.  Do  you  want 
to  know  how  many  wives  the  men  have  in  this 
part  of  Africa  ?  Just  as  many  as  they  can  get  the 
money  to  pay  for.  As  for  the  poor  young  men, 
who  have  no  money  or  friends,  they  have  to  go 
without  any  wife,  unless  they  can  steal  one. 

"  Well,  Spirit's  husband  was  a  cross  man  when 
anything  displeased  him.  He  brought  her  here  one 
day,  and  said  that  he  wished  us  to  keep  her  as  our 
little  girl  until  she  grew  up  to  be  a  young  woman, 
and  then  he  would  come  to  get  her.  The  little  girl 
did  not  like  the  man  who  had  bought  her  and  taken 
her  away  from  all  her  friends,  and  she  was  very  glad 
to  come  and  live  at  the  missionary's  house. 


258  CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 

"She  was  very  proud  of  having  a  dress  to  wear, 
instead  of  a  h'ttle  piece  of  cloth  tied  around  her 
waist;  and  when  Dr.  Nassau  gave  her  a  box  to 
keep  her  clothes  in,  her  eyes  danced,  and  her  feet, 
too,  .because  she  felt  so  happy.  She  was  neat. 
One  day  she  lost  an  ear-ring;  and  the  owner  of 
the  ear-ring  said,  if  it  was  not  found,  she  would 
take  Ilina's  dress.  'Do  you  want  to  kill  me,'  she 
answered, '  that  you  say  you  will  take  my  dresses?' 
And  then  the  two  girls  began  to  fight. 

"Children  here,  like  children  in  America,  are 
often  so  foolish  as  to  be  afraid  of  the  dark ;  but 
Ilina  never  seemed  to  fear  anything,  and  would  go 
wherever  she  was  sent.  One  dark  night  a  woman 
living  with  me  said  to  her,  '  Go  to  the  spring,  and 
get  water  for  the  pitcher.'  She  took  up  the  pail 
and  started  out ;  but  I  called  her  back,  for  a  leopard 
had  been  about  a  few  nights  before  and  taken  our 
goat,  and  I  did  not  want  him  to  take  one  of  my 
little  girls,  too.  The  woman  had  only  spoken  so 
as  to  see  what  the  child  would  do. 

"Two  of  our  other  girls  are  engaged  to  be 
married  to  Christian  young  men  ;  and  Ilina  soon 
said  she  did  not  like  to  marry  a  man  with  other 
wives,  and  she  intended  to  have  a  young  husband. 
When  her  husband  heard  that  Ilina  spoke  so  of 
her  marriage,  he  came  over  to  get  her,  and  went 
first  to  the  kitchen  door  to  tell  her  to  light  his 
pipe.     She  refiised,  as  it  was  against  our  rule  for 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


259 


the  girls  to  light  pipes  for  the  men  at  the  kitchen 
fire.  Then  he  was  angry,  and  caught  hold  of  her 
wrist ;  but  she  pulled  her  hand  away,  and  told  him 
to  let  her  alone.  He  went  into  the  house,  and 
told  Dr.  Nassau  that  he  had  come  to  get  his  girl; 
and,  though  we  were  very  sorry  on  account  of 
the  child,  we  could  do  nothing  to  keep  her.  Ilina 
cried  as  though  her  heart  would  break,  and,  after 
they  started  down  the  hill  to  the  beach,  she  tried 
to  run  back  to  the  house.  Then  a  man  caught 
her  and  led  her  along,  and  she  began  to  cry  and 
scream  for  me.  '  O  mamma,  mamma,  come  and 
take  me  !  They  will  kill  me  !  O  mamma,  come  !' 
So  she  screamed,  until  they  got  her  to  the  beach, 
where  her  husband,  who  was  vexed  at  her  cries, 
beat  her  and  had  her  lifted  into  the  boat;  and  I 
have  never  seen  the  poor  child  since.  My  heart 
ached  for  many  a  day  when  I  thought  of  the  bright 
little  girl  who  had  so  often  amused  us  with  her 
cheerful  talk  and  lively  ways." 

Another  most  interesting  girl,  tenderly  attached 
to  Mrs.  Nassau  and  to  little  Paull,  was  Aka,  the 
betrothed  of  Etiyani,  an  elder  of  the  Benita  church. 

The  mission  at  the  Gaboon,  having  been  estab- 
lished so  much  longer  than  ours  at  the  Benita,  had 
raised  up  some  native  assistants.  One  of  these,  a 
young  woman,  Opanda,  was  employed  in  Mrs 
Nassau's  household  in  various  capacities. 


26o  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Fugitive  slaves,  also,  slightly  acquainted  with 
some  arts  of  the  semi-civilization  of  the  adjacent 
Portuguese  islands  of  St.  Thomas  and  Princess, 
in  fleeing  from  those  islands  to  reach  their  former 
homes  in  Angola,  were  often  driven  by  wind 
and  current  on  to  Corisco  and  Bonita  shores,  and 
were  re-enslaved,  as  waifs,  by  those  of  their  own 
color. 

Mrs.  Nassau  wrote  to  Mrs.  Clark  early  in  1867: 

"  I  was  very  glad  to  see  Aka,  but  wanted  you 
to  keep  her  so  long  as  was  needful.  You  know 
what  Maria  and  Julia  are;  so  I  need  not  enlarge 
on  them.  I  would  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  them  as 
soon  as  they  would  be  bettered  by  leaving  me. 
Just  now  we  cannot  get  girls  on  account  of  that 
fuss  Ilina  made, — but  I  want  no  more.  Opanda 
helps  with  the  sewing,  and  I  have  had  one  of  the 
Portuguese  slaves  sewing  a  little." 

The  station  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bonita  was  re- 
garded as  only  a  stepping-stone  to  the  interior. 
The  location  of  the  two  young  men  at  Sfinje  in 
May,  1866,  had  been  a  feeler;  and  we  kept  our 
own  counsel,  not  speaking  to  the  natives  on  the 
subject  (lest  their  jealousy  be  aroused)  until  a 
proper  time  should  come.  Mrs.  Nassau  always 
watched  the  blue  hills  of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal  up 
the  river  as  we  crossed  its  mouth,  and  would  sigh, 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  26 1 

"  Oh  !  can't  we  go  there  ?"     She  wrote  in  January, 
1867,  to  Miss  M.  E.  Nassau  : 

"  We  want  to  see  you  all,  but  we  want  still  more 
to  get  up  the  river.  I  think  no  one  now  in  the 
mission  has  such  kind  friends  as  ours,  for  we  are 
never  troubled  by  letters  begging  us  to  '  come 
home.'  But  you  do  not  know  how  often  we  think 
and  talk  of  you  all." 

Rev.  S.  and  Mrs.  Reutlinger,  on  January  19,  ar- 
riving in  the  mission  at  Corisco,  the  hope  was 
entertained  that  they  would  either  relieve  us,  if 
failing  health  should  compel  a  return  to  America, 
or  assist  in  the  up-river  step,  if  health  permitted 
our  remaining. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

BoNiTA,  W.  A.,  March  7,  '67. 
.  .  .  Hamill  and  I  would  love  to  be  at  some  of 
those  home-gatherings,  but  we  feel  it  a  privilege 
to  be  permitted  to  remain  so  long  on  the  field. 
Some  of  our  Christians  are  walking  well,  and 
some,  alas  !  are  trying  to  gain  the  crown  without 
the  burden  of  the  cross.  Have  you  not  some  such 
on  your  side  of  the  water  as  well  ? 

Hamill  is  not  looking  well,  but  would  look  bet- 
ter if  his  hair  were  not  trimmed  in  such  a  prison- 
like style.     I  was  his  last  barberess,  and  it  hurts 

2;? 


262  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

my  feelings  every  time  I  look  at  it.  To  be  sure, 
he  insisted  on  having  all  the  long  locks  cropped 
off  short.  .  .  .  We  look  for  Willie's  photograph 
again  next  month.  I  took  the  disappointment 
this  time  very  philosophically,  seeing  that  I  was 
not  sick  in  bed.  I  was  very  sorry  when  my  dear 
husband  told  me  he  had  said  anything  on  the  sub- 
ject, for  all  of  you  are  always  so  good,  kind,  and 
thoughtful.  I  never  blamed  any  one,  but  I  may 
have  said  too  often,  "  Oh  !  I  want  my  baby's  pic- 
ture." .  .  .  Would  you  like  to  know  what  kind  of 
flour  we  have  been  using  since  the  beginning  of 
December  ?  They  always  send  good  from  New 
York,  but  a  long  voyage  to  Corisco,  and  some 
months'  stay  in  a  warm  climate,  is  no  improve- 
ment to  our  breadstuffs.  This  particular  barrel 
was  so  hard  that  we  had  to  cut  the  flour  with  a 
hatchet ;  and  as  to  weevils  and  small  worms,  it  was 
next  to  impossible  to  sift  them  out,  our  fine  sieve 
being  the  worse  for  wear.  Such  hard  flour  is  not 
common ;  it  must  have  got  damp  on  the  way  from 
Corisco. 

The  kerosene  being  almost  done,  we  use  it 
only  for  a  night-lamp,  and  for  common  purposes 
burn  palm-oil.  Our  lamps  are  two  tea-cups,  our 
wicks  two  sticks  with  a  piece  of  old  cloth  wrapped 
around.  That  is  the  way  of  burning  the  crude  oil 
as  we  buy  it  of  the  natives. 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  263 

AUTHORITY. 

On  my  journeys,  either  quarterly  to  Corisco,  or 
monthly  to  the  out-stations,  Mrs.  Nassau  had  to 
be  left  at  Benita,  almost  the  only  white  person  for 
fifty  miles  about.  The  Corisco  absences  were 
never  less  than  a  week.  Only  her  taste  for  and 
knowledge  of  medicine,  rare  good  judgment  in 
administering  it,  and  tact  in  dealing  with  the  na- 
tives at  the  station,  could  make  me  feel  that  she 
and  the  babe,  and  the  station,  were  well  and  safe. 

On  such  occasions  a  reliable  native  was  always 
left  under  her  direction,  to  assist  her  in  the  morning 
and  evening  public  prayers,  and  all  the  station  em- 
ployees were  charged  with  only  one  word,  "  to 
watch  her  lips,"  i.e.,  to  obey  implicitly  her  orders, 
even  if,  unintentionally,  they  should  happen  to 
contravene  any  of  mine.  This  was  necessary,  for 
the  disrespect  with  which  the  female  sex  is  re- 
garded by  the  heathen  extended  in  some  indefinite 
ways  even  to  the  missionary  ladies,  and  male  mis- 
sionaries had  to  bestow  extra  honor  on  them  in 
order  to  have  proper  respect  accorded  them  by  the 
natives.  The  latter  soon  came  to  perceive  that  a 
disrespect  to  myself  was  more  readily  condoned 
than  one  to  Mrs.  Nassau,  and  they  gave  her  a 
special  deference,  even  beyond  what  her  own  force 
of  character  would  have  received. 

She  knew  during  my  absence  that  the  workmen 
were  hers  to  dismiss  temporarily  if  there  was  no 


264  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

work  she  wanted  done,  or  to  retain  for  anything 
that  her  fancy  might  prompt.  Generally  there  was 
something  completed  as  a  surprise  for  my  return. 
On  one  occasion,  imagining  that  some  large  wild 
beans  growing  in  the  vicinity  might  be  edible,  she 
told  an  employee,  Isanga,  to  go  gather  some.  He 
hesitated,  objecting  that  they  "  were  not  eaten." 
That  phrase  did  not  necessarily  mean  that  a  thing 
"  was  not  edible,"  for  we  had  discovered  several 
edible  wild  fruits  which  the  natives,  in  their  fear 
of  poison,  had  not  been  accustomed  to  eat.  She 
repeated  her  direction  to  Isanga ;  he  obeyed. 
Making  a  careful  experiment  that  day,  she  ate 
more  largely  the  next,  and  on  my  return  had  a 
bowlful  ready,  with  an  amusing  account  of  the 
man's  hesitation  to  obey.  Without  knowing  that 
Mrs.  Nassau  had  told  me,  he  soon  sought  a  private 
interview  with  me,  and  said, — 

"  Father  Nassau,  did  you  not  bid  me  watch  only 
Mrs.  Nassau's  lips?" 

"  I  did." 

"And  did  you  not  leave  me  here  as  one  of  her 
guards  ?" 

"  I  did." 

"  And  would  you  not  blame  me  if  any  evil  hap- 
pened to  her?" 

"  I  most  certainly  would." 

"  Then  please,  I  pray  you,  my  father,  speak  to 
that  wife  of  yours  that  she  do  not  bid  me  bring 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  265 

her  poison  ;  for  if  I  disobey  her  she  will  vex,  and 
if,  in  obeying,  the  poison  kill  her,  you  will  punish. 
What  shall  I  do?" 

He  was  assured  that  Mrs.  Nassau's  wisdom 
would  direct  her  in  her  culinary  experiments,  and 
that  his  safest  path  lay  in  obedience. 

MRS,    NASSAU   TO    THE    MISSES    M.    AND    M.  A.  LATTA. 

Benita,  W.  a.,  July  27,  '67. 

Mr.  Reutlinger  came  home  with  Dr.  Nassau 
after  the  April  mission-meeting,  and  spent  ten  days 
with  us.  He  is  very  pleasant,  and  has  common 
sense, — a  very  desirable  quality  in  missionaries. 
He  and  all  the  rest  of  the  Corisco  missionaries  are 
believers  in  homoeopathy;  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De 
Heer  take  regular  medicine  very  often.  I  could 
have  some  faith  in  Mr.  Reutlinger's  homoeopathy 
myself,  as  he  has  no  faith  in  those  little  boxes  of 
sugar  pills  that  are  sold  to  the  people  at  large.  .  .  . 
Last  mail  I  sent  you  only  the  letters  I  had  written 
the  month  before,  and  which  failed  to  reach  Corisco 
in  time  for  the  boat  to  Gaboon.  However,  that  mail 
sent  from  Corisco  did  not  reach  Gaboon,  as  the  men 
ran  the  boat  very  carelessly  among  the  breakers  at 
Cape  Esterias,  and  the  boat  was  broken  to  pieces. 

Mr.  Reutlinger  is  very  anxious  to  come  to  the 
mainland,  and  the  brethren  on  Corisco  are  anxious 
to  keep  him  there ;  so  for  the  present  he  remains. 

I  have  sixteen  young  ducks,  and  another  duck 
23* 


266  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

setting;  seventeen  little  chickens,  and  a  hen  just 
hatching  to-day,  besides  another  hen  setting.  The 
leopard  killed  for  us  an  old  duck  and  five  little 
ones,  leaving  seven  young  ducks  that  are  in  charge 
of  a  hen  and  growing  finely.  Doctor  Nassau  has 
just  had  finished  for  me  a  duck-house  into  which 
the  leopard  cannot  get,  and  we  do  not  allow  any- 
thing to  sit  out  of  doors.  .  .  . 

STARCH-MAKING. 

To  encourage  an  industry  and  perhaps  develop 
an  article  of  commerce,  Mrs.  Nassau  joined  with 
zest  in  showing  the  people  how  to  make  starch  from 
cassava  roots.  With  her  happy  faculty  of  throwing 
the  light  of  play  over  work,  the  days  selected  for 
starch-making  were  turned  into  rustic  picnics. 

A  day  chosen  in  the  Middle  Dries,  when,  with  a 
bright  sun  for  drying  the  starch,  there  was  still 
plenty  of  water  in  Haie  Creek  for  making  it,  but 
no  rain  to  give  wet  feet  on  a  damp  ground ;  an 
early  breakfast ;  house  locked  ;  and  a  troop  of  men 
and  children  carrying  tubs,  benches,  baskets  of 
roots,  equipments  for  a  dinner,  etc.  Under  the 
shade  of  a  tree,  by  the  creek  across  the  prairie,  on 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  all  hands  were  busy  playing 
at  work.  Children  washing  the  roots  in  the  stream, 
others  peeling  them,  men  grating  on  enormous 
graters  extemporised  from  tin  cracker-boxes.  Mrs. 
Nassau,  with  baby  in  his  carriage,  or  under  a  rude 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  267 

tent  of  shawls,  with  a  book,  or  intent  on  botany, 
or  assisting  Mrs.  Thompson  over  a  chicken  and 
some  sweet  potatoes  in  the  ashes  of  the  most 
primitive  of  cooking-places.  Then  the  nooning 
under  the  tropic  forest  by  the  gypsy-like  camp. 
Then,  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  piles  of  pulp  increased 
in  the  tubs,  the  squeezing  of  it  by  hand  through 
thin  cotton  bags  held  over  other  tubs,  a  child 
standing  by  and  slowly  pouring  water  into  the  bag 
to  carry  the  starch-grains  through  as  others'  hands 
pressed  the  fibrous  pulp.  Then,  as  this  starch 
rapidly  precipitated,  clinging  to  the  bottom  of  the 
tub,  the  supernatant  dirty  water  was  poured  off, 
clean  water  added,  the  settled  starch  broken  up 
and  washed  around,  allowed  to  settle,  and  the 
water  finally  poured  off  at  the  close  of  the  day. 
After  which  every  body,  with  dabbled,  spattered 
clothing  and  shrunken  washerwoman's  fingers, 
took  up  their  burdens  of  tub  or  bench  or  basket, 
and  trudged  home  to  a  hearty  supper  and  the  rest 
that  comes  gratefully  to  tired  feet. 

One  such  day's  work  supplied  starch  for  all 
laundry  purposes,  and  for  tapioca  puddings  or 
other  culinary  uses. 

BUSINESS. 

Often,  during  my  itinerations,  boats  would  come 
from  Corisco  with  supplies,  or  from  trading  facto- 
ries on  other  business.     Mrs.  Nassau  was  able  to 


268  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

direct  the  disposition  of  goods  and  the  payment  of 
wages,  though  it  threw  on  her  a  care  our  ladies 
are  not  expected  to  have  anything  to  do  with. 

While  at  Corisco  quarterly-meeting  in  the  first 
week  of  October,  1867,  the  Corisco  boat  was  sent 
up  to  Benita,  and  it  returned  about  the  i6th  with 
a  note  from  Mrs.  Nassau  : 

"...  The  day  after  you  left.  Mango  and  Njonga 
got  up  a  big  'palaver'  about  the  death  of  their 
son  Molongwa.  They  accused  Musanga  of  Bo- 
londo  ;  but  his  party  being  powerful,  the  palaver 
ended  in  nothing  on  Thursday.  I  believe  they  just 
waited  until  you  got  off.  .  .  .  Isanga  and  Mweli 
do  very  nicely,  and  I  have  had  no  trouble  with  any 
one.  .  .  .  Mr.  Clark  said  to  put  the  screws  in  paper 
and  send  them  back ;  but  I  used  a  {q^  to  close  the 
chests,  not  wishing  to  make  new  nail-holes,  and 
the  nails  not  filling  the  places  of  screws  well.  .  .  . 
The  goods  are  all  locked  up  in  the  new  store- 
room." .  .  . 

Though  living  literally  in  the  wilderness,  the 
mission  premises  were  a  sanctuary,  and  in  their 
limits  was  peace  rarely  transgressed  by  the  natives 
even  in  times  of  excitement.  It  was  like  an  oasis 
in  the  anarchy  of  the  land.  There  was  a  never- 
ending  succession  of  quarrels,  troubles  of  various 
kinds  and  for  various  causes,  theft,  adultery,  mar- 
riage, trade,  witchcraft,  murder,  in  the  tribe  itself 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  269 

and  between  the  tribes  around,  so  that  communi- 
cation was  difficult  and  often  impossible  between 
Benita  and  Corisco.  But  on  the  Mbade  grounds 
we  could  sing, — 

"  Loud  may  the  troubled  ocean  roar, 
In  sacred  peace  our  souls  abide," 

and  the  natives,  with  few  exceptions,  were  to  us 
kind  and,  for  heathen,  even  considerate,  however 
much  they  fought  among  themselves.  The  little 
church,  too,  was  growing  in  size  and  grace. 

MRS.    NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.  E.  NASSAU. 

Benita,  W.  A.,  Dec.  11,  1867. 

.  .  .  There  have  been  several  applicants  lately 
for  admission  to  the  catechumen  class,  and  I  have 
not  seen  so  many  at  church  and  prayers  since  the 
first  few  months  of  our  residence  here,  when  many 
came  out  of  curiosity. 

A  middle-aged  man,  Vilangwa,  came  to  see  Dr^ 
Nassau  some  time  ago,  saying  that  he  wished  to 
be  a  Christian  ;  he  observed  the  Sabbath,  had  given 
up  rum  and  tobacco,  and  intended  to  put  away 
three  of  his  four  wives.  He  lives  miles  away  and 
we  have  not  seen  him  lately,  but  if  he  should  suc- 
ceed in  abandoning  polygamy  it  would  be  a  great 
triumph  of  the  Gospel.  One  or  two  men  have 
heretofore  put  away  one  wife  on  becoming  Chris- 
tians, but   one  of  the   two  has   gone   back   into 


/ 


270  CROWNED   /A    PALM-LAND. 

heathenism.  (On  pausing  to  think,  there  are  sev- 
eral that  have  divorced  one  wife.) 

One  of  our  Scripture-readers,  Etiyani,  had  two 
children  as  his  betrothed  wives  before  he  united 
with  the  church.  He  gave  the  younger  to  some 
of  his  family,  took  the  elder,  Mabito,  to  Corisco, 
and  put  her  in  the  girls'  school  until  she  was  ready 
to  be  married.  She  died  a  few  minutes  after  giv- 
ing birth  to  her  first  child ;  and,  as  the  child 
had  only  an  old  woman's  milk  and  plantains,  it 
died  too.  He  went  a  few  months  after  and  got 
the  younger,  Aka,  and  she  is  now  with  us,  waiting 
until  she  is  old  enough  for  him  to  take.  She  took 
a  great  deal  of  care  of  Paull  when  he  was  younger, 
but  since  he  has  been  sick  so  much  he  will  go  to 
no  one  but  Mrs.  Sneed  and  myself,  or  sometimes 
to  papa  when  papa  finds  time  and  strength  to  run 
off  with  him.  ...  I  have  two  boils  under  my  left 
arm,  which,  as  they  are  getting  better,  I  would  be 
willing  to  dispose  of, — five  dollars  for  the  two. 

Mr.  Brew  sent  us  a  half-barrel  of  flour  this  week 
to  bake  part  for  him  and  eat  part  ourselves.  It  is 
the  best  flour  we  have  had  in  the  last  six  months, 
and  our  last  half-barrel  was  very  poor,  with  an 
unpleasant  odor  from  the  first.  Of  course  the  odor, 
worms,  and  weevils  got  no  better  as  we  neared 
the  bottom,  and  the  last  I  did  not  pretend  to  eat. 
Fortunately  we  had  a  tin  of  Graham  flour  which 
was  good,  and  I  subsisted  on  that  in  part. 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  27 1 

As  a  recreation,  Mrs,  Nassau  still  continued  the 
work  of  making  native  hymns,  commenced  years 
before  at  Corisco.  In  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Clark,  of 
date  February  3,  1868,  at  Benita,  she  says : 

"Tell  Mr.  Clark  that  I  have  corrected  some 
hymns,  translated  a  few,  and  made  about  one  and 
a-half  original,  I  would  like  to  look  over  the 
hymns  with  himself." 

THE    UKUKU    FIGHT. 

In  April,  1868,  after  Mrs.  Nassau's  return  from 
Corisco,  where  she  had  bid  good-by  to  her  dear 
friend,  Mrs.  Clark,  who  was  returning  finally  to 
America,  and  had  welcomed  a  new  missionary, 
Miss  I.  A.  Nassau,  who,  with  Rev.  J.  and  Mrs. 
Menaul,  had  just  arrived  at  Corisco,  and  who 
accompanied  us  to  Benita  for  a  short  visit  before 
attempting  the  re-establishment  of  the  Maluku 
girls'  school,  an  event  occurred  which  showed 
how  we  were  yet  in  the  wilderness,  and  how  thin 
were  the  lines  of  the  civilization  we  had  been  cul- 
tivating, and  how  near  we  were  to  savage  power. 

An  extensive  conspiracy,  after  the  manner  of 
a  "  strike,"  was  made  by  a  large  portion  of  the 
community  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mission-house, 
who  took  advantage  of  some  discontent  about 
the  prices  paid  for  native  provisions.  This  dis- 
content, fomented  by  some  young  men,  renegade 


272  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Christians,  if  I  had  been  aware  of  it,  could  have 
been  amicably  settled  by  conference.  Invoking 
the  power  of  Ukuku,  the  same  oracle  that  had 
once  assailed  the  Corisco  girls'  school,  they  sud- 
denly assembled  on  a  certain  Friday  afternoon 
at  the  MbadO  house,  offensively  demanded  their 
terms,  and,  without  giving  time  for  deliberation, 
threatened  in  failure  of  immediate  assent,  the  issue 
of  a  law  that  (i)  no  more  food  should  be  sold  me; 
(2)  no  native  should  work  for  me;  nor  (3)  should 
I  be  permitted  to  drink  from  my  own  spring  on 
the  mission  premises. 

Such  tyranny,  to  enforce  compliance  after  the 
manner  of  civilized  Trades-Unions,  was  often  prac- 
ticed on  their  own  incorrigible  offenders,  but  es- 
pecially on  foreign  traders,  even  to  the  point  of 
forbidding  the  lighting  of  a  fire  for  cooking.  The 
traders  always  conquered  by  bribes  of  rum. 

Of  course,  compliance  to  threat  was  declined. 

Heathen  servants  at  once  deserted  the  premises. 
Those  who  were  Christians  were  saved  the  di- 
lemma of  a  conflict  with  Ukuku  or  disobedience 
to  myself,  by  my  not  ringing  the  work-bell.  Ces- 
sation of  work  wrought  no  trouble ;  the  men 
would  miss  their  daily  pay  more  than  the  mission 
would  their  lazy  help.  And  their  laboy  was  their 
own,  to  render  as  they  pleased.  Failure  of  native 
provisions  was  not  important;  for  before  our  for- 
eign supply  in  the  store-house  could  fail,  the  con- 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


273 


spiracy  would  break  of  itself  for  greed  of  the  mis- 
sion's valuable  articles.  And  their  vegetables  were 
their  own,  to  sell  as  they  pleased.  Water-supply 
could  have  been  obtained  by  the  rains  from  the 
eaves.  But  the  spring  was  ours.  To  be  ordered 
was  galling.  And  Mrs.  Nassau  agreed  with  me 
that  staying  away  from  the  spring  would  seem  to 
be  bowing  to  a  power  which  we  had  always 
preached  against,  which  was  based  on  a  lie,  and 
which  stood  in  the  eyes  of  the  African  as  an  idol 
in  other  heathen  countries. 

The  next  (Saturday)  morning  she  assented  that 
a  public  demonstration  against  Ukuku  law  should 
be  made  by  my  taking  a  bucket  of  water  from  the 
spring.  Though  she  knew  that  violation  of  its 
laws,  by  a  native,  were  instant  death,  and  that  at 
Corisco  threats  against  missionary  lives  had  been 
made  by  it,  she  took  bravely  that  morning's  good- 
by. 

The  spring  was  several  hundred  yards  from  the 
house,  through  a  winding  jungle-path.  A  spy 
there,  failing  to  dash  the  bucket  from  me,  and 
foiled  in  his  thrusts  of  a  spear  at  my  back,  left  the 
water  to  be  carried  in  triumph  to  Mbade,  while  he 
ran  off  to  raise  a  mob  in  the  villages. 

The  unexpected  demonstration  made  the  younger 
heathen  see  that  they  had  gone  too  far.  They  ral- 
lied with  the  Christians  to  the  protection  of  the 
mission,  warned  me  that  the  mob  was  coming  in 
24 


274 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


the  afternoon,  and  applied  for  powder  to  assist  in 
the  defense. 

While  I  was  fastening  the  doors  and  windows 
of  the  bamboo  house,  Mrs.  Nassau  was  doing  the 
same  in  her  frame  house,  and  before  I  could  join 
her  the  mob  were  firing  on  the  premises.  Rapid 
shots  were  exchanged  by  the  two  parties,  during 
which,  as  I  crossed  the  space  between  the  two 
houses,  Mrs.  Nassau  had  the  door  of  her  house 
opened.  She  and  Miss  Nassau,  with  Mrs.  Sneed 
and  two  native  girls,  were  sitting  on  the  floor  in  the 
second  story, calm,  and,  though  pale,  self-possessed, 
their  anxiety  having  been  for  me,  as  had  mine  been 
for  them,  lest  the  doors  and  windows  had  failed  to 
be  barred  before  the  assailants  came. 

It  was  a  short,  angry,  bloodless  fight  of  less  than 
twenty  minutes,  and  Ukuku  was  defeated.        ^ 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

Benita,  W.  a.,  Aug.  28,  1S68. 

We  were  very  glad  to  hear  by  the  last  mail  of 
your  safe  arrival  in  America ;  also  that  Mr.  Clark 
was  "just  in  time  to  vote  for  re-union."  You  see, 
I  have  a  hope  that  the  cause  of  Missions  (both 
Foreign  and  Domestic)  may  be  in  some  way 
helped  by  the  union;  and  as  to  the  doctrines,  if 
everybody  is  ready  to  acknowledge  that  we  are 
all  born  sinners,  I  do  not  see  that  it  makes  any 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  27$ 

practical  difference  how  we  became  so.  .  .  .  The 
captain  of  that  Boston  vessel  had  flour  for  sale,  or 
we  would  have  been  badly  off.  We  had  been  on 
rations  for  some  weeks  here,  and  much  longer  at 
Corisco.  The  Glasgow  goods  are  lying  at  Fer- 
nando Po. 

Our  bull  was  shot  by  a  "  bushman,"  and  we,  re- 
covering the  carcass,  feasted  on  fresh  beef  for  a 
week.  As  the  cow  has  always  been  troublesome, 
we  expect  to  send  her  to  Fernando  Po  for  sale, 
and  give  up  the  attempt  to  raise  cattle  at  Benita, 
depending  on  goats  for  our  supply  of  milk.  .  .  . 

I  wish  I  could  have  a  good  long  letter  from  you 
about  yourself  and  the  children. 

I  suppose  the  fashion  of  gored  skirts  suited 
dresses  that  needed  to  be  altered.  I  have  remod- 
eled several  of  mine  that  needed  some  kind  of  ren- 
ovation. .  .  .  The  longer  I  live  on  mission-ground 
the  less  desirable  it  seems  to  me  that  ladies  should 
be  sent  out  alone, — but  no  matter  about  that. 

Tell  Walter  and  Anna  we  have  a  little  monkey 
that  gets  on  the  cat's  back  to  ride,  but  the  cat  does 
not  want  to  be  monkey's  horse,  and  so  it  just  sits 
down  and  will  not  move. 

The  isolation  of  the  Benita  life  was  relieved  in 
October,  1868,  by  the  transfer  of  Miss  Nassau  and 
Charity  Sneed  from  Corisco  to  Kombe,  and  their 
residence  for  six  months  at  the  Mbade  house,  while 


276  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

their  own  was  being  built — for  the  sake  of  water- 
privileges — by  the  Bolondo  rivulet,  two  miles  dis- 
tant, just  within  the  mouth  of  the  Bonita  river. 

THE   FUGITIVE   SLAVES. 

Mrs.  Nassau's  self-possession  in  exciting  circum- 
stances appeared  on  two  occasions  connected  with 
the  history  of  two  fugitive  slaves.  Her  sympathy 
was  ever  with  the  oppressed,  and  masters  some- 
times bore  with  ill-suppressed  vexation  her  dis- 
tinctions in  favor  of  their  slaves. 

Two  Portuguese  slaves,  a  man  Louis  and  his 
wife  Joan,  fleeing  from  the  adjacent  island  of  Prin- 
cess, fell  on  the  Biafra  coast  more  than  seventy 
miles  north  of  Benita,  and  ran  many  hair-breadth 
escapes,  hiding  by  day,  and  at  night  gathering 
shell-fish  on  the  beach  and  plantains  from  the  gar- 
dens, which  they  cooked  in  their  only  utensil,  a 
small  iron  pot,  with  fire  from  flint  and  steel.  Thus 
they  had  wandered  aimlessly  down  the  coast,  until 
one  day  in  December,  1868,  they  were  discovered 
by  some  young  men  of  Haie  village.  Fleeing 
along  the  beach,  they  observed  the  mission  boat- 
house,  and,  assuming  that  the  owner  of  so  much 
wealth  was  necessarily  a  white  man,  and  preferring 
service  with  him  rather  than  capture  by  their  own 
color,  came  rushing  up  the  hill  into  the  Ikeuga 
where  Miss  Nassau  was  surrounded  by  her  after- 
noon school,  and  on  their  knees  implored  protec- 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


277 


tion  in  the  name  of  the   Virgin   Mary,  of  whom 
they  had  heard  from  the  Portuguese. 

The  Haie  pursuers  quickly  followed,  armed 
with  spear,  guns,  and  cutlass,  and  dared  to  enter 
the  room,  where  the  excitement  had  put  an  end  to 
lessons,  but  they  respected  the  right  of  sanctuary 
and  did  no  violence.  Only,  the  workings  of  their 
faces  and  the  glaring  of  their  eyes  were  a  study. 

To  withdraw  the  noise  and  confusion  which 
would  necessarily  follow  for  several  days,  until  my 
right  as  protector  should  be  established,  and  to 
give  quiet  to  Mrs.  Nassau,  I  committed  Louis  and 
Joan  to  the  temporary  care  of  Isanga,  a  church 
member  living  in  the  adjacent  village,  Upwanjo. 

For  several  days  there  was  intense  excitement. 
Haie  people  made  demand  for  the  fugitives  on  the 
ground  of  discovery,  but  not  being  able  to  say 
they  had  had  actual  possession,  their  claim  failed. 
Then  the  fugitives  being  in  Upwanjo  was  miscon- 
strued by  Haie  as  a  secret  gift  to  a  family  of  which 
they  were  jealous ;  then  an  altercation  between 
the  two  families  in  the  street  of  Upwanjo;  then 
Isanga's  own  weak  heart,  tempted  by  the  black 
heart  of  his  heathen  elder  brother  Tyema,  daring 
to  face  the  church  and  community,  and  retain  as 
slaves  those  who  had  been  intrusted  as  boarders, 
and,  after  various  subterfuges,  refusing  to  give 
them  up ;  then  a  most  affecting  meeting  by  the 
24* 


2/8  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

native  church  members  to  plead  with  their  erring 
brother,;  a  secret  embassy  at  night  from  the  com- 
munity to  know  (strange  fatuity  of  native  dupHc- 
ity  !)  whether  I  really  wanted  the  freedom  of  the 
fugitives,  or  whether  I  was  not  actually  playing 
into  Isanga's  hands ;  then  the  escape  of  the  fugi- 
tives at  night  by  assistance  of  Haie  slaves  and 
connivance  of  one  of  my  Mpongwe  servants ; 
Isanga's  violent  attack  on  my  premises  and  ser- 
vants ;  the  assemblage  of  the  elders  of  the  village 
to  condemn  Upwanjo,  to  establish  my  right,  and 
to  receive  the  publication  of  the  freedom  of  Louis 
and  Joan,  and  their  reception  into  my  paid  ser- 
vice. 

During  all  the  seven  days  occupied  by  these 
events,  though  their  noise  was  partly  removed 
from  Mrs.  Nassau's  ears  only  by  an  actual  closing 
of  the  bamboo  house,  and  the  transfer  of  prayer- 
meeting,  school,  and  market,  to  a  native  house  on 
another  part  of  the  premises,  she  kept  her  equan- 
imity, and  insisted  on  being  constantly  informed  as 
to  the  progress  of  events, — though  new-born 
Charley's  presence  had  just  been  added  to  her 
care, — gave  her  advice  and  encouragement,  and 
exulted  in  the  Mpohgwe's  final  solution  of  the 
difficulty. 

Joan,  as  she  had  been  a  house-servant,  was  found 
useful  in  sewing.  But  Louis  had  been  a  field-hand, 
bore  ill  his  prosperity,  like  all  freedmen  in  Africa, 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


279 


became  lazier  and  prouder  than  either  slave  or  free- 
man, and  finally,  a  year  later,  led  us  into  serious 
difficulty. 

THE    ASSAULT. 

There  was  a  renegade  Christian,  who  had  him- 
self been  a  fugitive  slave,  rescued  at  Corisco,  by 
Mr.  Clemens.  After  a  long  course  of  consummate 
hypocrisy,  in  which  he  succeeded  in  deceiving  the 
mission,  and  was  trusted  as  elder  and  Scripture- 
reader,  his  crimes  began  to  be  reported,  and  though 
he  strenuously  denied  them  as  slanders,  they  were 
gradually  proven  against  him,  and  one  after  an- 
other the  members  of  the  mission  ceased  to  con- 
fide in  him.  Mrs.  Nassau  was  one  of  the  first  to 
suspect,  with  her  quick  insight  of  character,  long 
before  I  had  dismissed  him  from  mission  service ; 
and  he  was  degraded  and  excommunicated  for  re- 
peated adulteries.  Unable  to  get  work  with  us, 
and  having  by  thefts  exhausted  all  credit  at  the 
traders'  houses,  he  employed  his  wife  as  a  decoy 
to  Louis,  and,  when  the  latter  fell  into  the  trap,  set 
up  an  outcry  as  an  injured  husband,  and  one  day, 
about  July,  1869,  made  an  attack  on  Louis's  house 
on  the  Mbade  premises,  seizing  all  his  goods,  and 
threatening  to  take  him  as  slave. 

In  my  indignation  at  Louis  for  bringing  himself 
into  disgrace,  I  failed  to  see  the  duty  of  resenting 
his  persecutor's  outrage  against  my  premises,  and 
sat  still  in  the  Ikoiga  while  a  great  hubbub  was 


28o  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

going  on  in  the  outhouses,  a  large  crowd  having 
collected  there. 

Several  young  men,  in  the  4ead  of  a  young  friend, 
Bcduka,  presently  interfered  and  prevented  Louis 
being  enslaved,  the  latter  consenting  to  pay  from 
his  wages  a  fine.  To  that  agreement  I  was  no 
party,  as  I  declined  to  treat  with  the  assailant  or 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  him.  But  I  did  pro- 
mise Beduka  that  until  he  should  consider  sufficient 
fine  to  have  been  paid,  I  would  not  assist  Louis  to 
run  away. 

Poor  Joan  had  in  the  attack  been  fleeced  of  all 
her  own  hard  earnings  (even  of  clothing  Mrs. 
Nassau  had  given  her),  except  a  duck,  which  she 
brought  to  Mrs.  Nassau,  and  deposited  under  her 
protection  in  our  house.  The  persecutor,  em- 
boldened by  my  neglect  to  interfere  for  Louis, 
came  to  the  door  of  the  room  where  Mrs.  Nassau 
and  I  were  sitting,  and  said  daringly,  "  I  am  going 
through  your  house,  to  search  for  and  take  that 
duck !" 

Insolence  had  gone  too  far  for  her  outraged 
sense  of  justice,  and,  addressing  him  by  name,  she 
exclaimed,  with  Pauline  indignation,  "  You  slave 
of  adultery,  go  out  of  this  house!" 

Drawing  a  butcher-knife,  with  a  flourish,  he 
said,  "I'll  kill  you  both  to-day!".  He  escaped  my 
grasp  at  the  door,  and  left  with  his  plunder. 

A  few  weeks  later,  in  August,  when  we  were 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  28 1 

going  to  Gaboon,  Beduka  was  induced  to  say  that 
the  fine  had  been  sufficient.  Mrs,  Nassau  was  in- 
tensely relieved  when  Joan  and  her  husband  were 
taken  into  the  boat  just  as  it  pushed  off  from  shore 
too  late  for  interference,  and  were  finally  delivered 
to  the  protection  of  the  French  at  Gaboon. 

This  passage  of  the  fugitives  to  freedom  cost 
me,  on  the  return  to  Benita,  a  vast  amount  of  vex- 
ation, and  Beduka  some  money  for  our  not  having 
consulted  with  the  prosecuting  husband ;  and  the 
matter  was  not  finally  settled  until  long  after  Mrs. 
Nassau  was  in  her  grave,  when,  in  self-defense,  I, 
for  the  first  time  in  Africa's  ten  years,  took  up  a 
weapon  of  offense,  and  my  enemy  narrowly  escaped 
the  cutlass  that  should  have  felled  him  when  he 
lifted  his  knife  two  years  before. 

It  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  lawlessness  of 
that  wilderness,  that  during  the  whole  year,  while 
Louis's  betrayer  was  annoying  us,  there  was  no 
power  to  actually  lay  hands  on  and  stop  him,  and 
he  was  too  devoid  of  shame  to  be  affected  by  the 
rebukes  and  objurgations  of  the  community.  Yet, 
in  the  doing  of  all  the  evil  he  did,  he  was  almost 
alone,  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  actively  sympa- 
thizing with  him  in  his  violence. 

THE    LEOPARD    FIEND. 

Leopards  were  not  numerous,  but  they  were  very 
daring,  made  more  so  by  the  immunity  of  punish- 


282  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

ment  that  was  allowed  them.  A  strange  superstition 
said  that  on  whoever  should  kill  a  leopard  there 
would  come  an  evil  disease,  curable  only  by  ruin- 
ously expensive  ceremonies  of  three  weeks'  dura- 
tion, under  the  direction  of  Ukuku.  So  the  natives 
allowed  the  greatest  ravages,  until  their  sheep, 
goats,  and  dogs  were  swept  away,  and  were  aroused 
to  self-defense  only  when  a  human  being  became 
the  victim  of  the  daring  beast.  Its  tracks  about 
the  Mbade  house  were  very  frequent,  especially  as 
we  kept  more  domestic  animals  (particularly  goats 
for  their  milk)  than  most  natives. 

With  this  superstition  was  united  another,  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  "  wehr-wolf"  of  Germany,  viz.,  a 
belief  in  the  power  of  human  metamorphosis  into 
a  leopard.  A  person  so  metamorphosed  was  caUed 
Uvcngwa. 

At  one  time  an  intense  iivengzva  excitement  pre- 
vailed in  the  community;  doors  and  shutters  were 
violently  rattled  at  dead  of  night,  marks  of  leopards' 
claws  scratched  door-posts,  their  tracks  lay  on  every 
path,  women  and  children,  in  lonely  places,  saw  their 
flitting  forms,  or,  in  the  dark,  were  knocked  down 
by  their  spring,  or  heard  their  growl  in  the  thicket. 

It  was  difficult  to  decide,  in  hearing  these  reports, 
whether  it  was  a  real  leopard  or  only  an  uvcngzva. 
To  native  fear  they  were  practically  the  same.  We 
were  certain  that  the  iivcngzva  was  a  thief  disguised 
in  a  leopard-skin,  as  thefts  were  always  heard  of 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  283 

about  such  times.  Such  events  did  not  occur  often, 
for  few  natives  would  dare,  even  for  theft,  to  be 
out  at  night  without  a  light.  Even  we,  at  any  time, 
rarely  \f  ent  out  after  dark,  without  either  a  light 
or  company. 

On  one  of  the  quarterly  visitations  at  Corisco, 
the  uvengwa  tried  our  Mbade  house, — the  only 
time  that  Mrs.  Nassau  was  subjected  to  trial  dur- 
ing any  of  my  frequent  absences.  Perhaps  part  of 
her  immunity  lay  in  the  fact  that  she  was  very 
watchful,  and  left  open  no  door  to  temptation  or 
theft.  One  night,  steps  of  two  persons  were  heard 
around  the  frame  house  and  on  the  platform  be- 
tween the  two  houses,  but  nothing  was  missed  next 
morning  except  a  few  ripe  plantains,  which  the  cook 
had  laid  near  the  pantry-door  ready  for  breakfast. 

The  next  night  a  very  strange  event  occurred. 
Mrs.  Nassau  was  asleep  in  her  room,  in  one  of  the 
four  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  with  a  low  light  burn- 
ing. The  out-door  of  the  room  (as  were  all  outer 
doors)  was  locked  at  night;  another,  an  in-door, 
open,  led  into  the  dining-room,  which  itself  again 
led  into  a  third  room,  the  sitting-room,  from  which 
a  steep  flight  of  stairs  ascended  to  the  attic  where 
Miss  Charity  Sneed  and  two  native  girls  were 
sleeping, — also  with  a  light.  Charity  woke  sud- 
denly, and  saw  a  man's  face  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs;  when  he  saw  he  was  perceived  he  jumped 
down  the  stairs  and  she  after  him.     He  had  to  eo 


284  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

through  the  two  doors  of  the  sitting-  and  dining- 
rooms,  making  two  short  turns,  and  thence  throutjh 
Mrs.  Nassau's  room,  who,  awakened  by  the  noise, 
saw  him  flit  through  the  opened  outsi(*e  door. 
She  had  locked  that  door  in  the  evening,  and  had 
laid  the  key  on  the  bureau. 

How  had  that  door  been  opened  ?  What  was 
the  burglar's  object  ?  Not  violence  to  Mrs.  Nassau, 
for,  on  his  way  up-stairs,  he  had  evidently  passed 
by  her  sleeping  under  the  lamp-light.  If  theft, — 
why  had  he  not  taken  the  clothing  that  lay  loose 
or  was  exposed  in  half-closed  bureau-drawers, 
none  of  which  was  missed  next  day? 

Mrs.  Nassau  made  no  revelation  of  what  had 
occurred  ;  but  kept  quiet,  hoping  to  entrap  the  man 
the  next  night.  She  placed  two  trusty  (but  timid) 
natives  one  side  of  the  house,  with  directions  to 
come  on  call;  herself  and  Charity  stationing  them- 
selves at  different  doors  inside.  The  feet  came, 
hands  fumbled  at  the  door-knob,  a  key  was  tried 
in  the  hole  outside,  but  was  obstructed  by  its  own 
key  having  been  left  in  the  lock  inside,  and  the 
feet  departed,  the  watcher  within  not  having  been 
able  to  make  her  signal  heard  to  the  two  assistants 
on  the  other  side  of  the  house.  They  heard  the 
retreating  steps,  but  did  not  pursue  them,  through 
either  timidity  or  an  unreasoning  obedience  to  the 
directions  to  "wait  until  called." 

Some  native  evidently  had  a  duplicate  key.     Of 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  285 

two  pair  of  tracks  in  the  sand  at  that  door  next 
morning,  one  suited  the  very  peculiar  foot  of  a 
certain  man,  the  constant  companion  of  a  well- 
known  thief,  and  who  was  about  the  size,  shape, 
and  color  of  the  one  seen  two  nights  before.  On 
these  facts  and  his  furtive  looks  in  daylight,  and 
other  circumstantial  evidence,  Mrs.  Nassau  wished 
at  once  to  have  him  seized,  and  fix  the  charge  on 
him  by  a  sudden  audacity  that  would  not  give  him 
time  to  attempt  denial.  Her  timorous  assistants 
demurred  to  the  circumstantial  evidence,  falling 
back  on  the  native  proverb,  "  Mzvibi/fa  bzveyakive  y  / 
na  itanibH'  (A  thief  is  not  seized  by  a  footprint.) 
And  when  I  returned  from  Corisco,  the  favorable 
hour  for  action  had  passed. 

The  suspicion  was  not  publicly  mentioned,  and 
the  suspected  one,  who  we  were  morally  certain 
was  guilty,  whenever  he  came  for  work  or  sale, 
seemed  to  be  conscious  of  the  distrust,  and  for  a 
long  while  absented  himself  from  the  vicinity. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reutlinger  were  transferred  to 
Benita  in  January,  1869.  They  came  in  February; 
and  we  felt  quite  as  if  the  wilderness  were  blos- 
soming. 

ROMANCE    OF    MISSIONS. 

About  this  time  was  probably  penned  the  fol- 
lowing characteristic  writing,  on  a  scrap  of  paper, 
in   Mrs.  Nassau's  chirography,  without   name  or 
date,  which  I  find  among  her  papers,  and  of  which 
25 


286  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

I  know  nothing  except  that  I  remember  reading 
with  her  in  the  Presbyterian  the  letter  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Johnson,  of  India,  to  which  she  refers : 

"  My  husband  and  I  have  been  particularly- 
struck  by  the  truthfulness  of  Mr.  Johnson's  letter, 
and  its  applicability  to  Africa  as  well  as  India.  On 
one  point  I  can  give  my  own  experience:  After  a 
residence  of  nearly  nine  years  on  the  coast,  and  a 
continual  looking  for  the  'pale  missionary'  in  a 
swallow-tailed  coat,  who  preaches  all  day  to  an 
open-mouthed  and  open-eyed  audience,  I  confessed 
to  my  husband  this  morning  that  I  had  only  met 
with  one  who  suited  my  model  of  a  missionary  in 
appearance,  and  I  did  not  find  him  under  a  tree 
either, — never  saw  him  preaching  except  in  a  re- 
spectable bamboo  house.  My  husband  inquired 
whether  he  did  not  represent  that  solitary  indi- 
vidual, but  I  had  to  say,  'No!  you  are  not  half  so 
pale  and  "  interesting"  looking.' 

"  I  wonder,  by  the  way,  where  that  missionary 
under  the  tree  gets  his  washing  and  ironing  done  ? 
I  know  the  natives  in  this  part  of  the  world  would 
not  be  equal  to  the  task.  I  wish  that  my  native 
employes  were.  If  I  only  knew  how  myself,  I 
might  be  able  to  teach  others. 

"  The  week  before  I  first  sailed  as  a  missionary 
I  rose  up  early  in  the  morning  and  went  down  to 
the  basement  kitchen  to  learn  how  to  wash,  and 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS.  287 

took  lessons  in  washing  of  my  cousin's  faithful 
servants.  I  rolled  up  my  sleeves  and  went  to  work 
with  such  a  will  that  I  was  too  faint  to  be  very 
hungry  for  my  breakfast ;  but  of  what  I  learned  I 
have  not  the  most  remote  idea. 

"  I  have  learned  some  of  the  theory  since, — not 
much  of  the  practice;  for  some  kind  of  washers 
can  usually  be  had. 

"  I  do  not  write  this  as  an  encouragement  to 
those  who  are  totally  ignorant  of  the  mysteries  of 
the  wash-tub  to  come  without  learning  more  than 
I  did,  but  to  show  that  if  one  is  willing  to  put  a 
hand  to  anything,  it  is  not  necessary  to  know 
everything." 

During  the  building  of  the  Bolondo  house  our 
household  was,  in  the  month  of  February,  large, 
and  the  refreshment  of  society  revived  Mrs.  Nassau 
very  much.  At  no  one  time  before  were  there  so 
many  civilized  friends  near  us  :  Miss  Nassau,  await- 
ing the  completion  of  the  Bolondo  house ;  Rev.  S. 
and  Mrs.  Reutlinger,  planning  an  advance  up  the 
river,  and  Rev.  Wm.  and  Mrs.  Walker,  visiting 
from  Gaboon,  having  come  on  invitation  to  baptize 
baby  Charley. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

Benita,  W.  Af.,  Feb.  16,  1S69. 
.  .  .  As  for  our  present  family,  Mr.  and   Mrs. 
Reutlinger  came  last  week,  and  sister  Bella  and 


288  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

Charity  will  be  with  us  for  about  a  month  yet. 
Waneta  came  with  her  "  ma,"  and  Julia  was  sent 
from  Corisco  in  October.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Sneed  is  a 
great  comfort ;  but  my  cook,  who  is  also  a  com- 
fort, will  soon  leave;  his  relatives  give  him  no 
peace.  .  .  .  Charley  is  a  great  fat  baby,  and  has 
no  sickness  of  any  account.  .  .  .  He  sleeps  in  the 
cradle, — the  first  of  my  babies  who  would  conde- 
scend to  do  so.  .  .  .  We  have  plenty  of  goats' 
milk.  Mrs.  Reutlinger  looks  very  well.  Dr. 
Nassau  is  pretty  well,  but  the  building  of  the  new 
station  is  hard  on  him  ;  he  goes  in  a  canoe  every 
morning  and  returns  in  the  evening.  I  send  him 
his  dinner,  and  he  is  home  one  or  two  days  in 
each  week. 

Sister  Bella  has  scarcely  any  fever,  but  she  does 
not  look  strong.  My  health  is  very  good  at  present, 
but  I  cannot  do  as  much  as  I  have  sometimes  in 
the  past.  Perhaps  I  am  well  because  I  am  lazy. 
Mr.  Hugh  McLachlan  was  here  a  couple  of  weeks 
ago,  and  said  I  looked  as  well  as  when  he  saw  me 
on  Corisco  in  i860.  ...  I  thank  you  so  much  for 
Charlie's  beautiful  hat ;  it  will  fit  him  in  a  month  or 
two,  but  I  do  not  know  where  he  will  go  to  show  it. 

Mr.  Reutlinger,  while  up  the  Bonita  on  an  ex- 
ploration of  a  practicable  route  across  the  ridges 
of  the  Sierra  del  Crystal,  was  seized  with  erysipelas, 
was  carried  by  his  attendants  in  a  hammock  more 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


289 


than  two  days'  journey  homeward,  and,  lingering, 
died  in  July.  A  journey  to  Gaboon  was  made  in 
August  for  baby  Charley's  sake ;  and  in  October 
we  were  again  alone  at  Mbade,  for  Mrs.  Reutlinger 
removed  to  the  Gaboon  Mission  to  assist  in  Mrs. 
Walker's  Baraka  school. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO  MRS.  REV.  W.  H.  CLARK. 

Benita,  W.  a.,  Nov.  (?)  1869. 
I  guess  December. 

.  .  .  Since  I  wrote  you  last  I  have  been  at  Ga- 
boon with  Charlie  on  account  of  his  health  ;  went 
in  search  of  good  milk,  as  all  our  goats  had  some 
disease.  We  lost  five  or  six  in  all,  and  as  many 
kids ;  but  most  of  the  goats  were  eaten  by  our 
native  friends,  and  so  not  counted  as  a  dead  loss, 
— I  mean  not  by  them. 

Charlie  gained  rapidly  at  Gaboon,  and  is  now  a 
fine  healthy  child,  teething  without  any  difficulty, 
— at  least  none  to  speak  of 

We  were  at  Gaboon  two  months,  and  came  home 
from  there  direct  on  Mr.  McLachlan's  schooner, 
bringing  with  us  a  cow  and  calf,  and  a  boy  to  milk 
her,  until  some  one  here  learned  how.  Dr.  Nassau 
has  decided  to  purchase  the  cow,  as  she  is  so  little 
trouble,  and  sent  the  money  for  her  last  week. 
We  keep  her  tied,  changing  her  from  place  to 
place,  and  during  the  rains  she  gets  along  very 
25* 


290 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


well.  She  is  fatter  than  when  she  came,  and  also 
gives  more  milk  ;  but  I  suppose  it  will  be  more 
trouble  to  supply  her  with  food  in  the  Dries.  We 
fed  her  some  at  first ;  but  she  seemed  to  care  so 
little  for  some  of  the  food  that  we  gave  it  up  for 
the  present,  and  she  does  just  as  well.  We  get 
rather  more  than  two  quarts  of  milk  per  day,  and 
Charlie  docs  not  take  quite  all.  Wc  take  the  upper 
three-fourths  for  him  and  add  a  little  water.  Some- 
times he  takes  all  the  milk ;  and  sometimes  the 
cow  gives  nearly  three  quarts  a  day,  and  that  is 
more  than  the  youngster  needs. 

Dec.  15. — Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer  left  Benita  this 
morning  (Tuesday),  having  been  with  us  since  last 
Thursday, — that  is,  Mrs.  De  Heer  stayed  with  us 
while  her  husband  went  farther  north  to  the  Vung 
tribe,  looking  for  boys,  I  suppose,  or  else  looking 
after  "  the  regions  beyond."  I  didn't  inquire  which. 

We  were  at  the  dinner-table  on  Thursday  when 
the  children  came  running  in,  exclaiming,  "  Here 
comes  a  boat  with  a  flag."  I  ran  down  to  the 
beach  bareheaded  as  soon  as  a  lady  was  seen,  and 
was  delighted,  of  course.  .  .  . 

Mrs.  Rcutlinger  is  at  Gaboon.  .  .  .  And  Mrs. 
Walker's  health  was  feeble ;  so  she  left  us,  hoping 
to  return  at  some  time.     My  heart  ached  for  her. 

"  Sowing  their  seed  M'itli  an  aching  heart, 
Sowing  their  seed  while  the  tear-drops  start." 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  29 1 


CHAPTER   XV. 

JOURNEYINGS     OFT. 

1866-1870.     Benita. 

"  Sowing  their  seed  by  the  wayside  high, 
Sowing  their  seed  on  the  rocks  to  die, 
Sowing  their  seed  where  the  thorns  will  spoil, 
Sowing  their  seed  in  the  fertile  soil." 

Mrs.  Nassau's  life  at  Benita  was  interrupted  by- 
frequent  returns  to  Corisco,  caused,  sometimes,  by 
a  desire  to  see  another  white  female  face,  some- 
times to  help  a  fellow-missionary  in  emergency, 
sometimes  as  an  effort  to  find  relief  from  labor's 
exhaustion  by  changing  its  scene,  or  by  breaking 
entirely  away  from  it. 

She  also  accompanied  me  on  itinerations  on  the 
coast  or  up  the  rivers. 

Religious  exercises  were  always  part  of  the  ob- 
jects of  every  journey;  and  sometimes  the  trip, 
though  arduous,  was,  in  spite  of  rain  and  sun  and 
fatigue,  by  its  variety,  conducive  to  health. 

UP    THE    BONITA. 

One  such  pleasant  journey  occurred  in  May, 
1866.     Two  young  men,  members  of  the  Benita 


292  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

church,  were  to  be  located  as  Scripture-readers  at 
Senje,  a  point  sixteen  miles  up  the  river,  the  first 
of  a  proposed  series  of  inland  stations.  It  was 
with  hesitation  that  Mrs.  Nassau  was  taken,  as 
her  health  was  feeble,  and  almost  too  weak  to 
endure  the  fatigue  of  the  boat.  But  her  wishes 
went  with  mine  so  strongly  in  all  plans  for  pro- 
gress interior-ward,  that  her  desire  to  accompany 
was  assented  to.  She  was  made  comfortable  on 
a  narrow  mattress  in  the  stern  of  the  little  row- 
boat. 

The  sun  was  hot  when,  with  the  two  Scripture- 
readers,  three  Christian  boatmen,  and  a  household 
company,  the  "  Draper"  started  with  the  tide. 
Progress  with  the  sail  being  slow,  as  there  is  but 
little  wind  between  1 1  a.m.  and  i  p.m.,  the  oars 
were  kept  moving  most  of  the  time.  The  wide 
river,  lined  with  mangroves,  with  their  wonder- 
fully-interlaced roots  and  shoots  and  props  by  the 
million,  made  a  forest  scene  that  never  wearied. 

About  I  P.M.  a  dense,  heavy  rain-cloud  was  met 
in  its  progress  seaward ;  and,  as  there  was  no  vil- 
lage ashore,  nor,  indeed,  scarcely  a  bank  (the  man- 
grove swamp  has  no  solid  bank)  at  which  to  stop, 
we  rowed  on  in  the  midst  of  the  drenching  tor- 
rents. Mrs.  Nassau  was  saved  by  having  her  sit 
up,  crouching  under  an  umbrella,  shawls  and  coats 
over  her  shoulders,  and  the  mattress  lying  across 
her  feet.     When  the  shower  had  passed,  and  the 


JOURNEYINGS   OFT.  293 

sun  burst  forth  again,  the  boat  was  bailed,  and 
everything  dried  rapidly  in  the  hot  air. 

A  stoppage  was  made  under  the  over-arching 
shade  of  the  mangroves  at  the  mouth  of  a  creek, 
for  a  picnic  luncli^  from  a  little  supply  of  bread, 
butter,  and  dried  herring. 

Then  we  went  on  past  the  Mapanga  villages  and 
the  islands  at  Manjanga,  and  strange  birds  and 
trees  and  flowers,  with  the  view  iri  front  of  ascend- 
ing ridges  of  hills  and  mountains,  romantically 
varied  with  each  turn  of  the  river,  and  refreshing 
to  the  eye  as  was  the  cool,  swiftly-flowing  river- 
water  to  the  hands  that  dabbled  in  it  over  the  gun- 
wale, or  lifted  it  in  draughts  to  thirsty  lips. 

Stopped  at  the  town  of  Isambi, — a  man  whose 
self-importance  made  conciliation  desirable,  lest, 
by  passing  him  unnoticed,  jealousy  might  be  ex- 
cited, and  our  future  journeys  hindered.  We  did 
not  alight  from  the  boat,  but  invited  him  to  accom- 
pany us,  which  he  did,  with  one  of  his  wives  and 
her  child. 

About  the  middle  of  the  journey  mangroves 
ended,  and  the  screw-pines  (pandanus)  took  their 
place,  and  the  river  banks  rose  in  blufis. 

By  5  P.M.  Senje,  on  the  river's  right  bank,  was 
reached,  and  we  climbed  the  precipitous  clay  bluff 
on  which  the  village  was  perched,  forty  feet  above 
the  water.  The  river  current  was  swift  and  full  of 
foam  from  a  series  of  cataracts  and  the  Yovi  falls, 


294  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

a  mile  farther  up.  Mrs.  Nassau  was  the  first  white 
lady  who  had  over  entered  the  river.  She  was  a 
great  curiosity  to  the  people. 

After  the  usual  salutations,  the  customary  chicken 
that  is  presented  to  white  visitors  being  slow  in 
coming,  I  suggested  to  the  chief  of  the  village  that 
my  wife  was  hungry,  and  presently  a  young  hen 
was  brought. 

Darkness,  that  so  quickly  follows  the  equatorial 
six  o'clock  sunset,  had  come,  and  it  was  time  for 
wojship  before  the  people  should  scatter  to  their 
several  villages, — some  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  Mrs.  Nassau  had  wonderfully  recovered 
strength  by  the  journey,  —  so  delighted  was  she 
with  those  refreshing  river  views, — and  had  super- 
intended the  preparation  of  the  chicken,  while  I 
was  assuring  the  crowd  of  curious  natives  that 
there  were  other  reasons  than  trade  for  which  a 
white  man  would  come  that  far.  Leaving  one  of 
the  boatmen  to  watch  the  pot  and  keep  another  of 
water  boiling,  we  commenced  public  worship. 

It  was  solemn  and  impressive ;  gathered  in  the 
street  (for  no  one  hut  could  have  held  more  than 
twenty  people),  with  a  native  vitzva  (gum)  light, 
flaring  and  flickering  as  a  torch,  stuck  in  the 
ground  on  a  bamboo  splinter,  the  awed  and  curi- 
ously-watching dusky  faces, — the  fluttering  leaves 
of  the  plantain-trees  around  the  huts, — the  stars 
above  clear,  and  the  southern  cross  uplifted, — the 


yOURNEYINGS  OFT.  295 

dense  forest  shades  by  the  rushing  river, — and  the 
roaring  of  the  falls,  mingh'ng  with  our  hymns  of 
praise. 

Everything  was  in  the  native  language.  A  hymn, 
Bato  babe  Jiilakcni  ("  Sinners,  behold  the  Lamb  of 
God");  the  reading  of  the  story  of  the  birth  of 
Jesus ;  a  prayer  (from  which  the  startled  super- 
stition of  the  women  and  children  could  scarce  be 
prevented  from  running  away) ;  a  talk  on  Sin  and 
Salvation ;  another  hymn,  0  iia  tongo  e  jadi  ti 
("  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood"),  and  then 
an  open  "  conversation"  by  my  young  men  for 
questions  on  the  part  of  those  who  wanted  in- 
formation on  practical  points  growing  out  of  the 
conflict  of  God's  commandments  and  their  heathen 
customs. 

Then,  faint  for  supper,  we  told  the  people  we 
wished  to  eat,  and  they  politely  left  us  alone.  In 
the  hut  were  fixed  our  own  boat-chests,  and  some 
of  our  host's  chests,  as  seats  and  table.  The  sa- 
vory-smelling chicken  was  brought  in  and  emptied 
from  the  iron  pot  into  a  soup-plate ;  chocolate  was 
soon  mixed  with  the  boiling  water;  a  can  of  to- 
matoes was  warmed ;  and  these,  with  herring,  bread, 
butter,  and  native  cassava  and  plantains,  made  a 
sumptuous  repast.  Mrs.  Nassau  seemed  strong 
again. 

When  alone,  on  other  journeys,  sea-sickness 
made  me  too  indifferent  to  attempt  to  cook,  and 


296  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

natives  did  not  know  how  undirected.  So,  until  I 
had  become  used  to  native  foods,  I  often  returned 
faint  for  very  hunger.  But  the  presence  and  as- 
sistance of  Mrs.  Nassau  furnished  a  meal  as  good 
as  if  in  our  own  house  ;  and  we  both  enjoyed  it 
exceedingly. 

Native  pandanus-leaf-matting  spread  on  bamboo 
poles,  and  mixed  with  our  shawls  and  mattress, 
which  the  afternoon  sun  had  dried,  made  tolerably 
comfortable  beds.  The  heavy  night-rain  on  the 
low,  thatched  roof  of  bamboo-leaf  was  good  music 
by  which  to  sleep,  after  we  had  ceased  to  hear  the 
drums  of  the  natives  at  their  dance,  or  the  cries  of 
wild  beasts  in  the  forest. 

Breakfast  next  morning  was  supper  repeated  ; 
and,  after  prayer,  and  finally  committing  the  two 
young  men  to  the  people  as  their  teachers,  we 
started  down  the  river  about  8  a.m.  Stopped  to 
disembark  our  native  friend  and  his  wife  and  child. 
Farther  down  stopped  at  a  small  village  to  say  a 
few  words  and  pray.  Half-way  down,  at  one  of 
the  Manjanga  villages,  stopped  again  to  hold  meet- 
ing, and  to  lunch  on  our  bread  and  herring. 

Emerged  at  5  p.m.  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  with 
much  labor  against  wind  and  tide,  and,  being  over- 
taken by  another  rain-storm,  turned  aside  to  the 
Mbini  trading-factory,  on  the  south  side,  and  at  8 
P.M.  were  across  the  river,  at  our  Mbade  home, 
where  Mrs.  Thompson  had  a  warm  supper  waiting. 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  297 

Despite  the  rain  encountered  on  the  journey, 
Mrs.  Nassau's  health  improved  by  the  exercise 
and  by  this  opening-  of  a  way  for  the  spread  of 
"  the  Gospel  on  the  mountains,"  her  constant  in- 
terest about  which  made  her  often  long  for  "  a 
little  home  back  beyond  the  mountains." 

TO   CORISCO. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  quarterly  meeting  at 
Corisco,  Mrs.  Nassau  accompanied  me  in  Septem- 
ber, 1866,  on  a  journey  of  much  peril  and  loss. 

The  surf-boat  "  Manji"  had  come  up  for  us,  and 
at  5  P.M.  of  a  Tuesday  it  started  with  its  crew  of 
five  men,  two  native  passengers,  besides  Mrs.  Nas- 
sau and  Paull,  and  their  attendants,  Oponda  and 
the  two  girls.  The  "  Draper,"  as  consort,  with  its 
crew  of  four  men,  and  two  passengers,  soon  got 
ahead. 

We  all  became  sea-sick  at  once,  on  the  unusually 
rough  bar ;  and  against  the  wind.  About  7  p.m., 
after  having  gone  three  or  four  miles,  the  rudder 
unshipped  by  the  loss  of  one  of  its  pins,  and, 
though  the  wind  was  good,  not  daring  to  use 
sails,  rudderless,  we  had  a  long,  hard  row  back  to 
the  house  for  repairs. 

Starting  again  at  10  p.m.,  we  had  successfully 
made  eighteen  miles  by  daylight  of  Wednesday, 
opposite  Aje,  and  had  overtaken  the  "  Draper." 
As  the  sun  became  hot  and  painful  towards  noon, 

26 


298  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Mrs.  Nassau  preferred  going  ashore  and  awaiting 
the  coolness  of  night.  So,  eight  miles  farther  on, 
at  Ulaba,  where  were  the  Bapuku  villages  of  two 
native  friends,  Eyavo  and  Ivaha,  we  went  ashore, 
leaving  the  boats  anchored  in  Eyavo's  cove. 

We  had  brought  food  for  ourselves,  Ivaha  also 
produced  the  best  he  had,  and  showed  Mrs.  Nas- 
sau all  attention,  while  I  was  occupied  with  the 
"  Manji,"  for  with  the  afternoon  swell  of  the  sea  it 
had  parted  the  anchor-rope.  Splicing  the  rope, 
and  tying  to  it  heavy  stones  as  a  temporary  drag, 
two  hours  were  spent  with  fifteen  men  and  boys  in 
diving  and  sounding  for  the  lost  anchor.  The 
search  was  abandoned  in  despair  at  sundown. 
But  at  8  P.M.,  when  t?he  chests,  etc.,  were  carried 
to  the  beach  to  embark  again,  the  boat-hook,  in 
poling,  suddenly  struck  the  anchor,  and  it  was  re- 
covered. A  drizzling  rain  was  falling,  and  the 
wind  was  so  fierce  that  Mrs.  Nassau,  never  anxious 
for  herself,  was  fearful  for  the  babe,  and  we  re- 
turned to  the  village. 

A  final  start  was  made  at  midnight  with  oars, 
the  wind  still  contrary.  It  was  slow  work  in  the 
heavy  and  heavily-laden  surf-boat.  Land  was 
hidden  by  the  mists.  To  go  ashore  was  impossible 
for  the  rocks  and  reefs  of  Italamanga  and  Ibunja 
islets.  White  lines  of  breakers,  indicating  sunken 
rocks,  flashed  with  phosphorescence  on  every  hand, 
and  the  men  slowly,  carefully  rowed  through  the 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  299 

passages,  not  daring  to  use  the  more  rapid  motion 
of  sail.  Their  strength  gave  out,  anchor  was  cast, 
and  we  lay  in  the  rain,  "  wishing,"  like  Paul's  com- 
pany, "  for  the  day."  By  the  aid  of  a  small  thatch 
shelter  in  the  stern,  and  by  exposure  of  herself, 
Mrs.  Nassau  kept  her  babe  dry. 

About  4  A.M.,  of  Thursday,  the  rope  parted 
again ;  it  was  in  vain  to  search  for  the  anchor  in 
the  darkness,  and  to  prevent  drifting  on  rocks  the 
men  sprang  to  their  oars,  and  aimlessly  rowed 
until  daylight  showed  a  safe  channel  to  the  Benga 
villages  on  the  St.  Thome  Creek,  near  Cape  St. 
John.  The  "  Draper"  was  there  awaiting,  and  all 
W'ent  ashore  to  dry. 

Then  was  discovered  that  a  chest  containing  all 
my  clothing  for  the  Corisco  visit,  and  a  casket  in 
which  were  a  set  of  dental  instruments,  heavy  gold 
pen  and  pencil-case,  and  ten  dollars  in  cash,  was 
missing.  In  the  confusion  at  the  eight  o'clock 
attempt  at  embarkation  the  night  before  at  Ulaba, 
the  chest  had  been  left  on  the  beach. 

The  "  Draper"  was  sent  back  to  recover  the 
property,  and  returned  in  the  evening  with  the 
empty  chest  and  a  part  of  the  clothing.  A  Kombe 
man  who  had  fled  for  crime  to  Corisco  was  stay- 
ing in  Eyavo's  village  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  and 
had  found  it  on  the  beach  ;  had  broken  it  open 
with  a  hatchet  (as  the  marks  showed),  and  appro- 
priated everything. 


300  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Leaving  Mrs.  Nassau,  I  took  the  "  Draper"  at 
once,  at  night,  and  in  a  drenching  storm  went  back 
to  Ulaba,  called  a  "  palaver,"  and  obtained  the  rest 
of  the  clothing.  The  thief  denied  having  anything 
else,  although  he  returned  the  casket  (which  had 
evidently  been  knocked  apart  and  then  roughly 
tacked  together  again),  saying  that  he  found  the 
pieces  floating  loose  with  the  clothing  in  the  tide. 
Going  to  sleep  in  our  dripping  clothes,  the  talk 
was  renewed  in  the  morning  of  Friday,  but  nothing 
more  was  gained.  Eyavo  said  that  I  had  been 
Ivaha's  guest,  and  that  therefore  himself  had  no 
responsibility  about  the  matter;  although  the  loss 
had  occurred  on  his  beach  and  not  at  Ivaha's. 
Had  it  been  the  latter's,  all  would  probably  have 
been  recovered.  So  thin  are  the  walls  of  morality 
that  make  a  native  either  a  hospitable  protector  or 
an  accomplice  of  theft. 

Returning  to  St.  Thome,  both  boats  started  to 
get  around  Cape  St.  John  for  Corisco.  The  "  Dra- 
per" succeeded  against  the  wind  in  her  teeth,  but 
the  "  Manji"  failed;  and  unwilling  to  lose,  by  a 
return  to  St.  Thome,  even  the  slight  advance  of  a 
mile,  we  put  into  a  cove  on  the  point.  There  the 
afternoon  was  passed  sitting  in  the  boat  with  a 
stone  for  anchor,  waiting  for  a  change,  and  hoping 
to  get  out  at  night. 

It  was  becoming  very  painful  for  Mrs.  Nassau, 
and  doubts  as  to  the  duty  of  persisting  on  a  path. 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  301 

every  foot  of  which  had  been  traversed  with  diffi- 
culty or  loss,  made  us  less  certain  of  safety  than 
when  a  course  of  duty  was  clear.  Evening  prayers 
were  held  in  the  boat,  we  slept,  and  at  9  p.m. 
started  to  get  around  the  Cape  toward  Elobi 
Islands.  But  a  fearful  wind  blew  the  boat  out 
to  sea,  the  slender  mast  bent  too  dangerously, 
and  the  order  to  turn  back  was  given,  an  order 
which  even  the  reckless  natives  willingly  obeyed ; 
and  under  a  drenching  rain  which  hid  the  land,  we 
with  difficulty  found  the  way  back  to  St.  Thome. 
We  aroused  the  people,  took  possession  of  their 
fires,  and  spent  the  night  in  drying.  Mrs.  Nassau 
had  borne  it  all  bravely ;  while  her  clothing  was 
dripping,  not  a  drop  of  water  was  on  baby's. 

By  the  fifth  day,  Saturday,  the  supply  of  beads, 
etc.,  with  which  was  purchased  the  boatmen's  food 
along  the  way,  was  expended,  and  the  villagers, 
whose  hospitality  we  had  so  tried,  were  asked  for 
a  loan.  To  this  they  readily  assented,  except  one 
woman.  That  was  the  only  willful  unkindness  I 
remember  Mrs.  Nassau  receiving  either  on  that  or 
any  other  journey.  A  very  savory  pile  of  freshly- 
cooked  mcvdndd  was  lying  in  the  house,  and  our 
own  provisions  had  been  exhausted  on  the  third 
day.  I  said  to  the  woman  of  the  house  (they 
happened  to  have  nothing,  as  they  never  provide 
beforehand  or  lay  up,  and  the  crew  had  cleared 
their  scanty  stores  of  the  day  before), — 

26* 


302 


CROWNED   IN  PALM- LAND. 


"  Get  mc  something  to  eat,  and  I  will  repay  you 
on  my  return." 

"  I  have  nothing." 

"  But  here  is  a  great  pile  of  vievdndd  T 

"  It  is  not  mine ;  it  belongs  to  this  stranger," 
pointing  to  a  woman  sitting  in  a  corner,  who  had 
just  come  in  from  a  distant  village. 

I  said  to  the  stranger,  "  Loan  me  an  tivdndd  for 
my  wife,  who  is  hungry,  and  I  will  send  you  any- 
thing from  Corisco." 

" Diaka  na  vja/"  (Stay  with  hunger!)  she  said, 
spitefully. 

It  was  a  rare  piece  of  cruelty  in  a  people  who 
are  ordinarily  so  hospitable. 

We  started  immediately,  and  did  "stay  hungry" 
until  our  arrival  at  Corisco  after  five  o'clock  that 
evening,  in  time  for  baby  Paull's  baptism  the  next 
day. 

We  were  just  an  hundred  hours  from  Benita! 
Once  Mr.  Paul!  had  made  the  distance  in  less 
than  twenty,  so  variable  were  the  winds  and  sea- 
sons. 

Journeys  with  ladies,  whatever  the  season  or 
wind,  always  took  more  time  than  others,  when 
only  men  were  in  the  boat.  The  thatched  shelter 
built  over  the  stern  for  the  ladies'  protection  from 
sun  or  rain  only  [)artially  accomplished  that  end, 
and  was  a  great  hindrance  to  progress  by  catching 
the  wind  unfairly.     Rapid  trips  were  often  made 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  303 

without  Mrs.  Nassau,  but  invariably  by  my  sitting 
unprotected  with  the  crew. 

A  new  whale-boat,  larger  than  the  "  Manji," 
some  twenty-six  feet  long,  six  feet  beam,  sharp  at 
both  ends  for  meeting  waves  either  way,  and  capa- 
ble of  being  either  rowed  or  sailed,  was  sent  to  us 
at  Benita  by  personal  friends  of  mine  in  Lawrence- 
ville,  and  of  Mr.  PauU's  in  Dunbar  and  other  places. 
The  money  for  it  had  been  given  in  1865,  but 
transport  from  New  York  was  not  found  until 
1868.  We  called  it  the  "Benita."  It  was  more 
comfortable  for  travel  than  any  other  we  had  had. 
Mrs.  Nassau  went  in  it  in  P'ebruary,  1868,  to  Co- 
risco  to  assist  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  and  their  family 
in  the  preparations  for  their  final  departure  for 
America  on  the  12th  of  the  following  March.  On 
the  following  Tuesday,  the  17th,  their  vacant  places 
were  taken  by  the  arrival  of  Rev.  J.  and  Mrs.  Me- 
naul  and  Miss  I.  A.  Nassau.  Mrs.  Nassau,  followins; 
Mrs.  Clark  to  America  with  a  letter  dated  Evanga- 
simba,  April  8,  1868,  where  she  was  awaiting  the 

close  of  mission  meetings  for  our  return  to  Be- 
ak " 

nita,  says,  "  You  left  Gaboon  on  Monday,  March 
1 6th,  and  on  Tuesday  an  American  yacht,  the 
'  Coquette,'  came  sailing  in,  bringing  the  new 
missionaries  from  Fernando  Po.  Of  course  we 
were  surprised  and  delighted,  and  the  excitement 
almost  made  Mrs.  Reutlinger  and  myself  sick. 
We  were  just  getting  ourselves  rested  from  the 


304 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


week  before,  and  Mrs.  Reutlingcr  had  not  been 
well." 

TO    G.\BOON. 

In  August,  1869,  another  trying  journey  was 
necessitated  by  the  rapidly-failing  life  of  baby 
Charley.  For  eight  months  he  had  been  uninter- 
ruptedly well  and  hearty.  Then  for  two  months 
he  began  to  droop  with  chronic  diarrhoea,  the 
cause  of  which  was  not  known  until  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  goats  on  whose  milk  he  depended 
were  diseased.  An  epidemic  carried  them  off; 
and,  as  it  was  prevalent  among  the  goats  of  the 
community,  it  was  determined  to  seek  milk  among 
the  few  cows  kept  by  the  mission  at  Gaboon.  Our 
attempt  to  introduce  cattle  at  Benita  two  years 
before  had  been  a  failure. 

With  the  usual  complement  of  boatmen,  attend- 
ants, and  passengers,  amounting  to  fourteen  souls, 
we  started  in  the  afternoon,  and,  running  all  night, 
landed  next  morning  through  a  heavy  surf  at  Aje, 
there  to  stretch  limbs  contracted  in  the  boat,  and 
to  dry  clothing  wet  by  the  spray. 

On  coming  to  start  again  in  the  afternoon,  a 
heavy,  drizzling  mist  hung  around  the  shore, 
dampening  clothing  that  had  been  barely  dried 
by  the  natives'  fires,  and  recalling  the  disastrous 
hundred  hours'  journey  of  two  years  before,  when 
Mrs.  Nassau  had  vowed  that  to  take  such  another 
would,  by  its  audacity,  be  putting  ourselves  out  of 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  305 

Divine  protection.  TJiat  had  been  for  various  good 
objects ;  tJiis  was  for  Charley's  life.  As  she  stood 
on  the  Aje  beach,  hesitating  to  enter  the  boat,  and 
looked  on  the  rough  sea  and  blinding  mists,  she 
shrank.  Then,  as  she  looked  on  the  weak  baby 
in  her  arms,  and  saw  that  the  only  hope  of  his  life 
lay  in  the  milk  eighty  miles  distant,  she  held  up 
her  hand  in  tearful  appeal,  calling  Providence  to 
witness  that  devotion  to  the  life  He  had  given  de- 
manded His  protection  on  the  dangerous  path  she 
dared  to  tread. 

Heavy  black  clouds  after  nightfall,  with  gusts 
of  wind  that  piled  up  waves  preventing  the  use  of 
either  sail  or  oar,  compelled  stoppage  at  Ulaba. 
While  the  crew  disembarked  some  baggage  for 
the  night,  Mrs.  Nassau  sat  with  her  native  children 
on  the  beach,  awaiting  my  return  from  a  search 
for  the  winding  path  that  led  to  Eyavo's  town, 
which  had  been  removed  into  the  forest  from  its 
former  proximity  to  the  sea.  The  night  was  wild, 
— with  black  clouds,  and  waves  tearing  on  the  reef, 
and  the  flaring  of  the  torches  of  the  aroused  vil- 
lagers who  had  returned  to  the  beach  with  me, 
and  who  gave  every  attention  and  assistance. 

In  the  morning,  starting  early,  we  succeeded  in 
passing  Cape  St.  John,  and,  the  wind  being  light 
and  sea  unusually  smooth,  went  far  out  to  sea, 
hoping  to  meet  the  afternoon  breeze  that  would 
carry  us  to  Corisco.     That  wind,  utterly  and  most 


3o6  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

unusually,  failed  to  conic,  and  there  was  no  alter- 
native but  a  long,  exhausting  rowing.  There  were 
no  waves,  but  it  was  rather  trying  to  nerves  to  see 
whales,  just  then  in  season,  on  their  sportive 
curves,  making  directly  for  the  boat.  One  whisk 
of  a  tail  would  have  destroyed  us ;  they  reconnoi- 
tred, and  then  dashed  away  on  other  tacks. 

The  night-wind  brought  us  near  Corisco  late 
after  dark.  It  was  tantalizing  on  a  certain  tack  to 
fetch  only  to  Alongo  Point,  on  the  north  end  of 
the  island.  Friendly  lights  were  gleaming  from 
the  mission-house  on  the  steep  promontory.  We 
could  almost  have  flung  a  stone  ashore  where  Mrs. 
Nassau  knew  that  her  friend  Mrs.  De  Heer  would 
have  been  so  glad  to  welcome  our  weary  com- 
pany. But  we  feared  to  land  on  that  rocky,  dan- 
gerous shore  in  the  darkness  of  night,,  and  had 
to  leave  the  warmth  of  that  light,  and  toil  on  by 
sail  and  oar  several  hours,  three  miles  farther, 
where,  though  waves  were  just  as  heavy,  the  en- 
trance was  safe  and  wide,  and  the  beach  clear  of 
rocks. 

But  even  then  the  landing  was  fearful.  It  was 
late, — near  midnight.  A  native  at  imdti  (night- 
fishing)  was  hunting  crabs  on  the  shore  with  his 
mivanyo  (bamboo-torch),  but  the  roar  of  the  waters 
made  our  voices  inaudible,  as  we  called  to  him  to 
summon  aid  from  the  Evangasimba  mission-house. 
Our  only  expectation  was  to  save  ourselves;  wreck 


JOURNEYINGS  OFT.  307 

seemed  inevitable  for  the  "  Benita,"  for  no  number 
of  hands  would  seem  sufficient  to  ease  the  stroke 
when  finally  it  must  surge  heavily-laden  on  the 
beach.  The  anchor  was  thrown  out  at  the  bow, 
and  one  man  stood  by  the  chain  to  let  out  a 
fathom  or  two  as  the  boat  rose  to  each  wave,  so 
as  to  ease  the  jerk  on  the  anchor,  that  its  hold  in 
the  loose  sand  might  not  be  torn  away,  and  then 
as  the  wave  receded  the  extra  fathoms  were  drawn 
in  to  keep  the  boat's  stern  from  grating  on  the 
shallower  depths  near  shore.  A  second  man  stood 
at  the  stern,  and  with  the  boat-hook  as  a  pole  kept 
the  bow  on  to  the  waves,  any  one  of  which  was 
enough  to  overturn  it  had  they  struck  broadside. 
Two  men  swam  ashore  to  arouse  the  mission- 
house.  They  were  a  painfully  long  while  at  that, 
and  in  a  search  in  the  villages  for  men  to  help. 
Mr.  Menaul  could  obtain  none ;  at  that  late  hour, 
the  inhospitable  Bengas  declined  to  leave  their 
warm  fires  to  help.  So  I  bade  the  fifth  man,  a 
tall,  stout  Krooman,  having  girt  his  waist-cloth 
tightly,  to  fling  himself  into  the  sea  and  hold  him- 
self ready  by  the  gunwale.  Then,  as  the  wave  re- 
ceded, he  could  just  touch  bottom  ;  and  in  that 
instant,  before  another  wave  came,  Mrs.  Nassau 
laid  herself  in  his  arms,  having  Charley  in  her 
own,  and  the  man  waded  ashore  supporting  her 
above  his  head  on  the  palms  of  his  hands,  as  one 
would  a  doll.     Before  Mrs.  Sneed  could  be  carried 


3o8  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

ashore,  a  wave  swept  the  boat  and  filled  it,  so  that 
the  boxes  of  clothing,  etc.,  were  drenched. 

Life  being  now  safe,  an  unknown  strength  was 
given  for  the  saving  of  the  baggage,  etc.  Alone 
I  lifted  boxes  and  barrels  that  had  taken  three  men 
to  lift  at  Benita;  handed  them  over  the  gunwale  to 
the  three  men  in  the  water,. and  they  carried  them 
ashore.  When  thus  the  entire  cargo  had  been  dis- 
charged, I  swam  ashore,  the  anchor  was  taken  up, 
and  on  a  favorable  wave  the  boat  was  permitted  to 
drive  into  our  hands,  and  was  successfully  worked, 
■  after  desperate  efforts,  toward  the  top  of  the  beach, 
away  from  the  violence  of  the  surf 

The  next  (the  fourth)  day,  Cape  Esterias  was 
reached. 

On  the  following  day,  after  tacking  many  miles 
away  from  shore,  so  that  it  was  scarcely  visible,  we 
made  one  long  tack  ashore,  and  just  rounded  Point 
Clara,  through  boiling  breakers  that  flung  their 
white  foam  on  each  side  and  lifted  the  boat  bodily 
as  the  practiced  hand  and  eye  of  helmsman  and 
pilot  guided  it  through  the  intricacies  of  the  bar 
and  reef  And  to  crown  the  work  with  a  smile, 
the  sun  came  out  beautifully  as  we  glided  into  the 
smoother  water  of  the  Gaboon  river. 

Then,  while  resting  in  a  cove  during  the  noon- 
calm,  the  smoke  of  the  French  steamers  could  be 
seen,  twelve  miles  distant,  by  their  depot  at  the 
P/  plateau.     Going  ashore  in  the  cove,  we  refreshed 


yOURNEYINGS   OFT.  309 

ourselves  at  a  forest  rivulet,  bought  fresh  fish  of  a 
passing  fisherman,  roasted  them  on  an  impromptu 
fire  on  the  sands,  made  changes  in  toilet  to  be  less 
unpresentable  in  the  civilization  of  Gaboon,  and 
with  the  first  puff  of  the  afternoon  breeze  sailed 
gayly  up  to  the  Baraka  landing. 

Calm  in  the  danger  of  the  breakers,  Mrs.  Nas- 
sau had  yielded  to  no  fear, — though  danger  was 
real, — nor  had  given  way  to  helpless  expostula- 
tions. Only,  as  a  wave  curled  by  and  flung  its 
spray  in  our  faces,  her  eye  sought  the  captain's  to 
see  in  its  look  whether  he  was  satisfied  with  the 
boat's  course,  and  reading  assurance,  she  too  was 
satisfied.  And  when  the  "  Benita"  sped,  bounding 
under  the  cleared  sky  and  safe  wind  in  the  smooth 
river-water,  and  the  children  exulted  in  the  anima- 
tion and  safety,  she  joined  them  heartily  and  gayly, 
as  if  "  again  a  child." 

TO    BOLONDO    BY    CANOE. 

Several  months  later,  after  the  return  to  Benita, 
Mrs.  Nassau  had  occasion  to  visit  Miss  Nassau  at 
Bolondo.  I  was  busy  at  the  building  of  the 
church,  and  as  the  river  was  smooth,  it  was  not 
imperative  that  I  should  accompany  her.  So,  with 
four  men,  she  went  with  Mrs.  Sneed  and  Charley, 
in  our  large  canoe,  that  was  some  twenty-five  feet 
long,  two  feet  wide,  and  eighteen  inches  deep,  car- 
rying along  the  Bolondo  weekly  supply  of  gro- 

27 


310 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


ccries,  etc.,  station  goods  of  nails,  etc.,  intending 
to  spend  the  day.  In  half  an  hour  one  of  the  men 
came  breathlessly  repeating,  *' Bivalo  bo  wcndi ! 
Bzvalo  bo  zvcndif  (the  canoe  is  dead !)  He  was 
so  excited  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  give  a  straight 
account.  At  last  he  reported  that  as  they  were 
paddling  vigorously,  sitting  two  and  two  on  the 
thwarts,  a  cleat  supporting  a  thwart  had  given  way, 
and  one  end  of  the  board  striking  the  bottom  with 
the  force  of  the  weight  of  the  two  men  who  were 
precipitated  by  its  fall,  had  knocked  a  hole  some 
sixteen  inches  long  and  two  inches  wide,  through 
which  the  sea  had  rapidly  entered. 

Mrs.  Nassau's  own  account  afterward  was  as 
amusing  as  the  native's  had  been  distressing.  His 
account  was  true,  but  she  chose  to  look  on  a 
ridiculous  side.  One  of  the  natives  divested  him- 
self of  his  only  clothing,  his  narrow  loin-cloth,  to 
furnish  material  wherewith  to  stop  the  leak,  and 
then  for  decency  sprang  into  the  river  and  swam 
ashore.  Good  Mrs.  Sneed  held  Charley  above  the 
in-rushing  water,  and  sat  helplessly  praying.  Mrs. 
Nassau  sprang  to  the  emergency,  and  while  the 
three  men  paddled  the  canoe  to  the  nearest  point 
of  the  shore,  she  stuffed  the  cloth  and  her  shawl 
into  the  break.  One  of  the  church-members,  fish- 
ing near  by,  came  to  the  rescue,  transferred  the 
company  and  the  cargo  to  his  own  canoe,  and 
carried   them    on   to   their   Bolondo   destination ; 


JOURNEYINGS   OFT.  311 

where,  Mrs.  Nassau,  I  am  sure,  at  a  proper  point 
in  the  adventure,  having  worked  so  efficiently  with 
her  hands,  did  not  fail  to  give  a  grateful  heart's 
prayer  of  thanks. 

TO    SIPOLU    BY    HAMMOCK. 

Besides  the  regular  Wednesday  evening  prayer 
meeting  at  Mbade,  the  Benita  church  had  two 
other  week-day  prayer  meetings ;  one  five  miles 
north,  at  Meduma,  on  Tuesday  (afterward  trans- 
ferred to  Bolondo),  and  one  three  miles  south, 
across  the  river,  at  Sipolu,  on  Friday.  To  the 
Sipolu  meeting  Mrs.  Nassau  sometimes  accom- 
panied me,  the  excursion  occupying  from  early  in 
the  afternoon,  allowing  for  a  visit  to  the  villages, 
to  announce  the  meeting  in  the  evening, — the  ser- 
vices early  after  night-fall,  and  before  the  elephant- 
watchers  had  scattered  to  their  various  plantations, 
— a  long  chat  on  various  topics  of  civilization,  with 
those  who  remained  in  the  villages,  and  a  return 
about  9  P.M.  The  women  were  always  delighted 
listeners  to  one  of  their  own  sex,  and  their  hearts 
were  promptly  opened  to  her  confiding  manner. 
The  little  lamp  set  in  the  window  of  our  house,  a 
guide  to  the  Mbade  beach  in  some  dark  nights, 
often  made  us  think  of  the  more  blessed  Light  we 
had  been  trying  to  spread,  and  she  ever  looked 
confidently  to  the  day  when  the  little  rays,  thus 
scattered,  should  grow  larger  than  that  little  lamp's. 


312 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


TO   MEDUMA    I?Y    IIAND-CART. 

In  a  letter  to  her  aunt  Latta,  May  13th,  1870, 
Mrs.  Nassau  speaks  of  a  pleasant  journey  to  Me- 
duma,  accompanied  by  Charley.  She  had  brought 
with  her  from  America,  in  1864,  a  two-wheeled 
wagon,  like  a  hand-cart.  Drawn  by  two  men^  and 
pushed  by  a  third,  it  was  used  on  the  beach  at 
Corisco  in  the  Alongo  visits,  and  at  Bcnita  in  ex- 
cursions to  distant  villages. 

"  I  had  him  in  town  two  days  ago,  and  he  wanted 
to  hold  a  little  baby  so  much  that  he  walked  up  to 
its  mother  to  take  it.  The  baby  was  afraid,  and 
clung  to  its  mother  screaming,  and  Charley  caught 
hold  of  the  baby  with  both  hands  and  pulled  away, 
screaming  himself  all  the  time, — partly  with  vex- 
ation  that  the  child  would  not  go  to  him  and  partly 
with  fear.  After  a  little  while  I  told  Julia  to  give 
him  some  boiled  rice  that  we  had  taken  with  us, 
and  when  he  had  eaten  a  few  mouthfuls,  he  filled 
one  hand  with  rice,  and  got  down  from  Julia's  lap 
to  go  and  give  it  to  the  little  baby.  Soon  after, 
another  woman  came  in  with  a  little  girl  about 
Charley's  age,  and  he  walked  across  the  room  to 
make  acquaintance.  That  baby  stood  on  the  floor, 
and  the  two  little  things  put  their  arms  around 
each  other  very  sweetly. 

"The  town  was  five  miles  off;  Charley  and  I  rode 
in  the  wagon,  and   Dr.   Nassau   walked.      I   had 


FADING  AWAY. 


313 


never  been  there  before,  and  I  suppose  Charley's 
visit  will  be  talked  of  for  years  to  come." 

"  In  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  ...  in  perils  in  the  sea." 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

FADING   AWAY. 

1869-1870.     Benita. 

"  In  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often,  in  hunger 
and  thirst,  in  fastings  often." 

While  awaiting  response  to  the  appeal  for  relief 
that  would  enable  us  to  find  needed  rest  and  revive 
sinking  life  by  furlough  in  America,  Mrs.  Nassau 
retained  an  animated  interest  not  only  in  all  mis- 
sion concerns  but  also  in  the  operations  of  the 
Church  at  home.  The  "  Envelope  System"  of 
church  collections,  now  so  generally  and  efficiently 
used,  was  really  proposed  by  her  at  the  same  time 
that  it  was  being  agitated  by  Rev.  R.  Strong  and 
others  in  America. 

Among  her  papers  in  her  own  handwriting  are 
three  specimen  schedules  of  a  ten-weeks'  promise, 
entitled  "  One  Cent  Union,  in  aid  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions." One  is  directed  to  a  family  in  Waynes- 
burg;  a  second,  dated  "June,  1869,"  is  directed  to 
her  uncle ;  and  on  the  third  is  the  following  memo- 
27* 


314 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


randum:  "Subscription  from  January  i  until  March 
10,  1869."  (The  plan  included  the  names  of  all 
connected  with  the  Benita  household,  but,  as  is 
evident  from  the  blanks  below,  was  never  actually 
presented  to  all.) 


R.  H.  Nassau 

Mrs.  Nassau 

Miss  Nassau 

S.  Reutlinger 

Mrs.  Reutlinger.. 

Mrs.  Sneed 

Miss  Ch.  Sneed... 

N  gombalondo , 

Julia 

Itongolo 


=  -^ '^^  t:-=^ '-^-^ '-S-^   S^   ti-^   --^ 


U    1) 


Her  completed  plan  she  sent  to  her  uncle.  Rev. 
W.  W.  Latta,  of  Philadelphia,  in  February,  with  a 
request  that  he  would  have  it  printed  at  her  ex- 
pense and  distributed  throughout  the  churches  so 
as  to  create  some  public  interest  on  the  subject. 
Without  her  knowledge  the  same  thing  was  being 
accomplished  in  May,  at  General  Assembly  of  that 
year.  In  August  she  received  a  reply  from  her 
uncle,  while  she  was  at  Gaboon,  and  wrote  me  at 
Benita  thus : 

"A  word  more  about  that  plan  for  penny  sub- 
scriptions. I  scarcely  think  it  is  needed  in  addi- 
tion to  the  other  previously  before  the  churches; 


FADING  AWAY. 


315 


but  of  that  other  I  did  not  know  when  I  wrote  to 
uncle.  As  he  did  not  hasten,  I  might  have  written 
to  him  to  abandon  my  project,  and  the  letter  would 
have  reached  home  in  time.  (It  seems  to  me  I  did 
say  something  of  that  kind.)  If  it  does  good,  I 
shall  be  glad ;  and  if  it  fails,  I  trust  I  shall  be  more 
glad  to  see  the  other  succeed.  The  principal 
thing  for  which  I  am  sorry  is  that  it  will  look  like 
a  supplement  to,  or  substitute  for,  Mr.  Strong's 
paper, — but  that  did  not  reach  Africa  until  after  I 
had  written  all  directions  to  uncle." 

As  if  in  preparation  for  her  own  departure  from 
earth,  some  of  the  ties  that  bound  her  here  were 
being  loosened  by  the  deaths  of  two  of  her  aunts, 
Mrs.  Rev.  W.  W.  Latta  in  February,  1869,  and 
Miss  Margaretta  Latta,  June,  1869. 

At  times,  the  affairs  of  the  mission,  through 
differences  of  opinion  with  regard  to  proper 
methods  of  prosecuting  the  work,  were  in  a  dis- 
turbed state,  that  weaned  Mrs.  Nassau's  gentle 
spirit,  and  (while  her  love  for  the  mission  work 
never  for  a  moment  hesitated)  made  her  long  for 
more  harmonious  action.  While  at  Gaboon,  watch- 
ing Charley's  returning  strength,  she  wrote  in 
September,  1869, — 

"  Would  it  not  be  better  for  us  to  leave  this 
mission  and  go  elsewhere  if  our  Board  choose  to 


3i6  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

send  us?  It  riiay  be  we  arc  not  fitted  for  the 
work ;  it  certainly  seems  to  mc  better  to  work 
where  there  would  not  be  so  much  fiiction.  I  urge 
nothing;  I  know  not  what  is  for  the  best, — per- 
haps it  is  wrong  to  write  this.  .  .  .  Yet  would  it 
be  right  to  leave  Benita  when  the  work  seems  to 
be  prospering  ?  I  seem  to  be  all  in  the  dark,  and 
I  think  that  trouble  was  half  the  cause  of  my  fever. 
Good-night,  May  God  guide  us.  Act  as  you 
think  best, 

"Sept.  30.  .  .  ,  How  glad  I  would  be  to  be  away 
from  all  strife  and  turmoil  and  confusion ;  but  I 
suppose  that  will  not  come  to  pass  in  this  life," 

In  her  sprightly  way  of  writing,  it  was  a  com- 
mon practice  to  write  little  notes  for  her  babes,  as 
if  they  had  said  the  words  thus  put  into  their 
mouths.  She  wrote  thus  for  Charley  at  Baraka, 
September  20,  1869: 

"  My  dear  Papa, — I  eat  and  I  sleep  and  I  grow, 
Esambi  gave  me  a  little  tusk  from  a  little  elephant 
to  make  some  little  napkin-rings.  Mrs.  Boardman 
gave  me  some  dresses.  Suna  gave  me  a  pigeon,  and 
I  think  it  is  very  pretty  ;  but  I  would  rather  play 
with  my  mamma's  shoe  than  all  the  toys  and 
pigeons  in  Baraka.  Sometimes  I  have  a  piece  of 
plantain.  If  anybody  tries  to  take  a  bite  I  put  my 
fingers  in  their  mouth   to  get  the  piece  out.     If 


FADING  AWAY. 


317 


anybody  puts  a  finger  in  my  mouth  I  can  bite. 
Everybody  says  I  look  well.  Good-by,  papa.  I 
rode  on  horseback  with  Captain  Browne.  I  guess 
I'm  a  man." 

After  the  transfer  of  Mrs.  Reutlinger  to  Gaboon, 
in  October,  1869,  we  were  again  alone  at  Mbade. 
Miss  Nassau's  failing  health  and  departure  in  De- 
cember, on  a  three  months'  furlough  to  visit  the 
Scotch  Presbyterian  Mission  at  Calabar,  required 
the  closing  of  Bolondo.  When  I  went  on  the 
quarterly  journey  to  Corisco,  in  the  last  of  De- 
cember, Mrs.  Nassau  would  have  been  entirely 
alone,  as  in  the  early  days  of  the  Benita  pioneer- 
ing, had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  a  welcome 
visitor,  a  Christian  gentleman,  Captain  W.  R. 
Browne,  trade-agent  at  Gaboon  for  the  only 
American  firm  there,  and  the  only  trader  who  did 
not  permit  liquor  to  be  used  in  his  business  with 
the  natives. 


MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M,  A.  LATTA. 

Jan'y,  1870. 

Dr.  Nassau  and  Mrs.  Sneed  left  for  Corisco  last 
Monday,  and  Charley  and  I  are  keeping  house, 
with  the  native  children  for  assistants,  and  Captain 
Browne  still  here  as  visitor.  He  is  waiting  for  a 
vessel  that  he  expected  several  days  ago,  and  for 


3i8  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

all  we  can  tell  it  may  not  be  here  for  a  week  to 
come;  so  I  am  not  altogether  alone  at  night. 
Hamill  will  be  home  in  a  week,  but  Mrs.  Sneed  is 
to  remain  with  Mrs.  Menaul  until  after  her  con- 
finement, so  I  may  be  without  her  valuable  assist- 
ance for  six  weeks  or  more.  It  was  our  own  pro- 
posal to  have  Mrs.  Sneed  go,  as  Mrs.  Menaul's 
health  is  very  poor,  and  they  have  no  good  help. 
I  suppose  they  will  go  home  via  Ireland,  as  soon 
as  Mrs.  Menaul  is  able  to  travel,  and  then  our 
mission  will  be  sadly  reduced.  .  .  .  Charley  is  the 
best  baby  I  ever  saw,  and  it  would  do  your  eyes 
good  to  see  his  arms  and  legs.  He  weighs  twenty- 
six  pounds,  and  is  thirteen  and  a  half  months  old, 
and  has  twelve  teeth. 

When  I  went  into  the  pantry  this  morning,  my 
boy-cook  had  the  griddle  on,  and  what  do  you 
think  he  was  going  to  bake  for  cakes  ?  Flour  and 
water  made  up  into  a  paste.  I  tried  to  explain, 
without  hurting  his  feelings,  that  such  cakes  would 
be  rather  tough,  and  set  his  paste  aside  to  add 
yeast  for  tea-biscuit.  (I  should  have  said  "  kitchen," 
as  my  kitchen  and  pantry  are  all  in  one,  a  room  in 
the  bamboo  house.) 

The  schooner  that  took  Sister  Bella  brought  a 
box  for  Dr.  Nassau,  containing  a  rifle,  and  a  magic- 
lantern  for  the  Bolondo  school.  It  had  come  by 
steamer  from  America,  through  England,  of  course. 
There  were   also  some   books  for  Sister  Bella's 


FADING  AWAY. 


319 


school.  Some  one  had  sent  her  three  cups  of 
jelly  pasted  over  with  paper.  The  cups  were  not 
broken,  but  most  of  the  jelly  had  soaked  through 
the  paper.  .  .  .  Five  young  men  were  baptized  at 
our  last  communion,  one  restored,  one  suspended, 
and  one  received  on  certificate  from  Evangasimba 
church. 

A  young  man  who  has  just  lost  his  wife  applied 
to  us  to  take  his  baby,  who  can  creep.  We  con- 
sented, but  the  mother's  friends  may  oppose  the 
plan.  I  think  the  baby  would  be  far  better  off  with 
us,  unless  the  father  knows  some  one  who  has  a 
babe,  and  who  would  share  the  milk  with  his  child. 
They  know  very  little  about  bringing  up  of  children 
by  hand,  as  they  do  not  give  goat's  milk. 

I  must  go  make  my  biscuit  now,  and  may  not 
have  time  to  write  more  before  the  captain  goes ; 
or  if  I  have  the  time,  I  will  probably  be  too  tired. 
.  .  .  And  may  the  Lord  spare  us  all  to  meet  again 
on  earth.     Such  meeting  seems  a  long  way  off 

The  babe  referred  to  was  not  permitted  by  the 
superstitions  of  the  heathen  women  to  come  under 
Mrs.  Nassau's  care,  because  she  used  cow's  milk, 
and  they  would  not  permit  "  a  human  being  to 
drink  the  milk  of  a  beast."  For  that  sole  reason 
we  had  seen  other  babes  allowed  to  die.  Once,  a 
few  years  before,  so  great  had  been  the  super- 
stition even  about  "  foreigner's  milk,"  that  objec- 


320 


CROWNED  IN  PALM- LAND. 


tion  was  made  by  the  women  to  a  motherless 
native  infant's  sharing  our  Httle  Paull's  super- 
abundant nourishment  at  the  time  he  was  only  a 
few  days  old.  Not  till  it  was  actually  dying  did 
the  father  dare  to  bring  it  clandestinely  to  Mrs. 
Nassau,  and  it  died  in  her  arms.  In  both  cases, 
native  superstition  prevented  her  assuming  a  labor 
which  her  generosity — not  to  say  humanity — 
prompted  and  would  have  performed. 

The  wishcd-for  "  meeting,"  that  seemed  "  a  long 
way  off,"  became,  by  the  decisions  of  the  January 
(1870)  mission-meeting,  farther  off — even  hope- 
less. The  announcements  at  that  time  of  the  in- 
tended American  furloughs  of  Messrs.  Menaul  and 
De  Heer,  in  respectively  four  and  six  months,  and 
the  transfer  of  the  storehouse  and  mission  head- 
quarters from  Corisco  to  Benita,  left  us  the  last 
family  in  the  mission,  and  with  the  responsibility 
of  the  entire  field  on  utterly-wearied  hands. 

Mrs.  Nassau,  on  being  informed  of  the  arrange- 
ments that  tied  me  to  Benita,  refused  to  leave  me, 
and  instantly  wrote  to  America  a  long  list  of  gar- 
ments for  a  two  years'  supply  to  her  wardrobe,  both 
of  us  having  permitted  our  stock  of  everything, 
even  of  clothing,  to  diminish  to  a  minimum,  in 
expectation  of  our  post  being  relieved.  She  took 
up  the  burden  of  the  accumulated  work  falling 
from  others'  hands,  cheerfully  and  submissivcl}',  as 
had  ever  been  her  wont. 


FADING  AWAY. 


321 


MRS.  NASSAU    TO    MISS    M.  A.  LATTA. 

Benita,  Jan.  11,  1S70. 

Captain  Browne  goes  this  morning  by  way  of 
Corisco,  and  I  am  afraid  that  my  letters  will  not 
reach  Fernando  Po  in  time  for  this  month's  mail. 
The  schooner  he  was  expecting  has  not  come,  and 
he  has  concluded  to  wait  no  longer.  It  is  just 
three  weeks  since  he  came.  .  .  .  Dr.  Nassau  came 
back  last  Friday  night,  bringing  with  him  a  young 
bull,  two  villainous-looking  black  pigs,  and  a  fe- 
male kitten, — cats  being  something  I  cannot  abide 
about  the  house.  You  will  say  I  am  not  like  my 
mother ;  but  it  is  so  hard  to  keep  the  cats  from  the 
baby's  milk,  and  they  break  more  things  in  the 
pantry  than  the  rats  do,  and  trouble  all  the  food 
more. 

Will  you  or  Katie  please  have  me  another  set  of 
under-clothing  made  ?  .  .  . 

MRS.    NASSAU.   TO    THE   SAME. 

Benita,  W.  A.,  Feb.  i,  1870. 
Charley  is  asleep,  after  getting  a  bath,  a  dose  of 
quinine, — a  medicine  he  does  not  often  have  to 
take, — and  a  bottle  of  milk ;  and  I  hope  he  will 
sleep  away  a  little  feverishness  that  he  has  had 
since  yesterday.  He  is  cutting  now  his  eye-  and 
stomach-teeth,  which  Willie  did  not  cut  until  after 
he  went  to  Lawrenceville,  and  that  dear  little  Paull 

28 


322 


CROWKED   IN  PALM- LAND. 


never  cut.  .  .  I  can  scarcely  realize  that  I  have  a 
little  boy  in  Lawrenceville,  who  will  be  six  years 
old  the  last  of  this  month.  And  who  can  tell  how 
much  older  he  will  be  before  I  see  him?  or,  shall 
I  ever  see  him  on  earth?  .  .  .  We  have  heard  but 
once  from  Sister  Bella  since  she  left,  and  she  had 
then  been  a  few  days  at  Calabar,  and  she  men- 
tioned having  had  a  kind  reception. 

Last  evening  we  had  biscuits  from  a  new  barrel 
of  flour,  and  the  taste  reminded  me  very  forcibly 
of  the  biscuits  you  used  to  make  in  dear  old  Ches- 
ter Valley.  I  never  made  biscuit  so  near  like  them 
before,  and  it  was  quite  a  surprise  to  myself.  While 
we  sat  at  the  table.  Dr.  Nassau  and  I  had  a  long 
talk  of  the  time  when  I  was  a  little  girl,  and  used 
to  make  long  visits  at  my  grandfather's.  I  told 
him  of  grandfather's  rides  to  Charlestown, — of  the 
biscuits  he  took  for  his  Sabbath  lunch, — the  late 
getting  home  on  winter  evenings  ;  and  it  seemed 
scarcely  possible  that  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
lay  between  that  past  and  the  present.  Yet  at  times 
I  feel  so  old  it  might  have  been  fifty  years  ago. 

Fcbnimy  3. — We  were  surprised  yesterday  by 
the  arrival  of  our  mail,  and  I  was  glad  to  find  you 
had  not  let  the  month  go  by  without  writing,  as  it 
is  always  a  disappointment  not  to  hear  from  you. 
I  had  also  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Paull,  with  whom  I 
have  kept  up  an  occasional  correspondence  since 
her  son's  death. 


FADING  AWAY. 


523 


Your  letter  told  of  the  kind  present  from  Mrs. 
Lewis,  and  I  wish  you  would  send  her  my  love 
and  many  thanks  for  her  kind  remembrance,  and 
assure  her  I  place  a  high  value  on  anything  which 
comes  to  tell  me  I  am  not  forgotten  in  my  dear 
uncle's  former  charge. 

I  am  afraid  I  shall  look  too  fine  when  that  gren- 
adine arrives  ;  but  perhaps  Dr.  Nassau  and  I  will 
have  to  take  a  journey  for  our  health  to  some  more 
fashionable  place  than  Benita. 

About  three  years  ago  I  thought  it  was  time  to 
stop  sending  orders  home,  as  we  would  soon  need 
to  go  ourselves ;  but,  having  outstayed  our  own 
expectations  so  long,  I  have  no  idea  when  we  will 
go,  and  I  rather  expect  to  keep  on  writing  for 
what  I  may  want  until  we  begin  to  pack  our  trunks 
for  the  voyage,  or  nearly  up  to  that  time.  I  do  so 
long  sometimes  to  see  you  and  my  uncle,  but  that 
is  no  reason  for  leaving  my  work  while  able  to  stay. 

I  was  discouraged  at  the  beginning  of  the  year, 
when  Dr.  Nassau  came  home  from  mission-meet- 
ing and  told  me  of  the  breaking  up  there  was  to 
be  on  Corisco  in  a  few  months ;  that  Mr.  Me- 
naul  expected  to  leave  in  a  few  months,  and  the 
storehouse  (iron)  and  contents  would  be  removed 
to  Benita,  which  would  be  regarded  hereafter  as 
headquarters.  I  don't  know  what  the  Board  in 
New  York  will  say,  as  they  have  always  clung  to 
Corisco. 


324 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


But  I  think  want  of  faith  is  the  very  best  way  to 
bring  about  our  fears;  and  so,  while  trembling  a 
little,  I  do  feci  a  cabnncss  in  the  thought  that  the 
ark  is  the  Lord's ;  and  I  do  believe  He  will  give 
needed  strength.  Oh,  for  more  faith  !  And  then, 
surely,  we  should  "  run  and  not  be  weary,  walk 
and  not  faint."  I  fear  my  faith  will  not  attain  to 
the  running  without  weariness ;  but  I  hope  to 
"  walk  and  faint  not"  through  all  the  way  the 
Lord  has  marked  out  for  me.  I  should  lose  a 
great  deal  of  comfort  were  I  to  lose  my  belief  in 
predestination. 

Mrs.  De  Hcer  is  not  at  all  well,  but  she  has  done 
nobly  for  the  first  time  out.  Mrs.  Sneed  is  still  at 
Corisco  with  Mrs.  Menaul,  who  is  in  good  health 
and  spirits.  Mr.  Menaul  is  worn  out  and  discour- 
aged, and  a  letter  has  gone  to  America,  begging 
our  board  to  send  speedy  relief  .  .  ,  The  news 
from  other  missions  cannot  but  make  us  rejoice. 
The  cheering  accounts  from  India,  China,  and 
South  America  ought  to  rouse  the  most  despond- 
ing, and  make  converts  of  all  disbelievers  in  mis- 
sionary work.  .  .  . 

Feb.  15. — Last  Sabbath  morning,  as  we  were  at 
the  breakfast-table,  one  of  the  men  came  to  say 
that  he  saw  a  boat  which  must  be  from  Corisco, 
and  it  was  near  the  beach.  I  felt  sure  there  was 
bad  news,  and  said  so  to  Dr.  Nassau,  for  the  boat 
was  probably  manned  by  some  of  Mr.  De  Heer's 


FADING  AWAY. 


325 


mainland  boys,  and  I  knew  they  would  not  com- 
plete even  a  small  part  of  their  journey  after  day- 
break of  Sabbath,  unless  there  was  great  necessity. 
My  fears  proved  true.  The  boat  had  started 
Saturday  evening,  and  brought  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Menaul,  begging  Dr.  Nassau  would  go  to  him,  as 
his  wife  was  dangerously  ill.  The  baby  was  nine 
days  old,  a  little  girl,  and  Mrs.  Menaul  was  taken 
suddenly  worse  on  Saturday  afternoon.  Dr.  Nassau 
started  back  with  the  men  about  sunset,  and  hoped 
to  get  down  some  time  on  Monday,  as  this  is  a 
good  season  of  the  year  for  traveling.  .  .  .  If  Mrs. 
Menaul  should  be  taken,  I  have  offered  to  take  the 
little  one  while  it  stays  in  Africa. 

MRS.  NASSAU    TO    THE   SAME. 

Benita,  Feb.  21,  1870,  Mond.  morn. 

.  .  .  We  are  all  well,  and  Charley  as  stout  as 
any  one  could  wish.  .  .  .  Sister  Bella  is  still  away. 

Now  for  the  sad  news,  for  our  mission  has  again 
been  stricken,  and  just  when  we  are  so  few.  Mrs. 
Menaul  went  home  to  God  last  Thursday,  Feb. 
17th,  leaving  a  little  babe  two  weeks  old.  Dr. 
Nassau  had  been  sent  for,  and  reached  Corisco  the 
day  before  she  died.  She  was  brought  to  Benita 
for  burial,  and  little  Bessie  is  with  me  for  the  pres- 
ent. Her  father  expects  to  leave  with  her  in  May. 
Mrs.  Sneed  was  a  great  comfort  to  them,  and  it  is 
28* 


326  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

a  great  comfort  to  me  that  we  proposed  her  going. 
We  are  waiting  until  some  one  arrives  from 
America.  We  know  of  no  one.  I  wish  Mr.  White, 
of  uncle's  former  charge,  would  come  out, — I  sup- 
pose he  is  Rev.  Wm.  White  now,  and  I  think  he 
ought  to  suit.  Won't  uncle  ask  him  ?  .  .  .  The 
storehouse  and  contents  are  expected  next  week, 
also  the  materials  of  the  Maluku  house,  where  I 
had  the  girls  on  Corisco.  The  mainland  will  here- 
after be  the  centre,  of  operations.  .  .  .  Please  send 
two  copies  of  "  The  Physical  Life  of  Woman,"  by 
George  H.  Napheys,  M.D.  .  .  .  That  is  the  adver- 
tisement in  Dr.  Nassau's  RcpoHer. 

Mrs.  Nassau's  sympathy  for  Mr.  Menaul  and  care 
for  his  babe  (as  her  own  Charley  monopolized  Mrs. 
Sneed),  revived  him  from  disheartenment,  and — as 
my  own  time  was  taken  up  with  superintending 
the  building  of  the  church,  voluntarily  begun  by 
the  people — he  vigorously  occupied  himself  with 
the  re-erection  of  the  iron  storehouse. 

On  the  back  of  a  letter  of  his  to  Mr.  Clark, 
dated  March  22,  1870,  is  a  postscript,  in  April,  by 
Mrs.  Nassau : — 

"I  just  answer  your  husband's  last  kind  note, 
and  will  say  I  would  write  oftener  if  I  had  the  time 
and  strength.  Charley  is  getting  on  finely.  Thanks 
for  your  Willie's  picture.     Bessie  is  well,  and  both 


FADING  AWAY. 


327 


babies  live  on  the  milk  of  one  cow.  We  keep  the 
cow  tied.  .  .  .  Chanty  and  Sister  Bella  are  back ; 
were  gone  three  months  on  a  visit  to  Calabar," 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.  A.  LATTA. 

Benita,  W.  a.,  May  9,  1870. 

You  ask  in  your  last  letter  about  boxes  sent  to 
the  Mission  House  last  June,  and  I  can  only  say 
that  we  are  hoping  to  see  them  next  June,  as  a 
vessel  is  expected  out  then.  There  has  been  at 
least  one  vessel  out  since  you  forwarded  the  things 
to  New  York,  but  Mr.  Cutter  may  not  have  known 
of  its  sailing  until  too  late ;  or,  if  the  boxes  were 
sent  by  it,  they  never  reached  us.  The  "  Edith 
Rose,"  with  supplies  for  our  mission,  is  due  next 
month,  and  I  suppose  we  shall  receive  a  host  of 
things  by  her  that  you  have  been  expecting  to 
hear  of  months  ago.  .  .  .  Mr.  Menaul  and  Bessie 
have  been  gone  nearly  three  weeks.  We  were 
ready  at  that  time  for  them  to  go,  and  expecting 
the  schooner  "  Janette"  daily,  when,  one  morning, 
a  little  cutter  anchored  near  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
Dr.  Nassau  sent  off  a  canoe,  and  it  soon  returned 
bringing  Mr.  Smith,  a  white  trader,  who  wished  a 
tooth  extracted.  He  was  on  his  way  to  Fernando 
Po,  but  had  no  idea  of  calling  here  until  daylight 
that  morning,  when  he  found  himself  opposite  the 
Bonita  River,  and  concluded  to  come  and  have  his 


328  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

aching  tooth  out.  Dr.  Nassau  had  rehevcd  him  in 
a  similar  manner  once  before.  lie  brought  word 
that  the  "  Janettc"  would  not  be  along  for  three 
weeks,  and  Mr.  Menaul  immediately  asked  pas- 
sage in  his  cutter,  the  "  St.  George,"  and  he  and 
Bessie  went  off  that  afternoon.  God  surely  sent 
that  poor  man's  toothache  for  my  relief,  as  the  care 
was  becoming  almost  too  much  for  me.  A  young 
man  from  here  went  to  Fernando  Po  to  help  with 
the  care  of  the  baby  that  far,  and  he  returned  ten 
days  later,  saying  that  they  had  got  along  very 
well.  A  note  from  Mr.  Menaul  reported  Bessie  as 
well,  and  said  they  were  being  kindly  entertained 
by  Methodist  missionaries  from  England. 

The  "  St.  George"  was  only  a  very  large  boat, 
but  it  had  a  kind  of  cabin,  big  enough  for  the  baby 
and  for  one  or  two  grown  persons,  in  case  of  rain. 
They  left  here  Thursday,  and  reached  Fernando 
Po  Sunday  morning. 

Since  the  revolution  in  Spain,  Protestant  mission- 
aries have  been  allowed  to  come  to  Fernando  Po, 
and  two  Primitive  Methodists,  with  their  wives 
and  one  child,  came  out  recently,  .  .  .  We  hear 
that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker,  of  Gaboon,  are  going 
to  America  soon.  I  do  not  know,  indeed,  whether 
they  will  have  strength  to  wait  Mr.  Bushnell's 
arrival.  .  .  . 

May  13. — Thank  you  for  the  seeds  that  came 
the  last  mail.     I  sent  some  to  Bolondo  the  same 


FADING  AWAY. 


329 


day, — as  Sister  Bella  has  better  ground  than  we 
have, — and  the  cucumbers  were  up  several  days 
ago ;  I  think  the  tomatoes,  too,  but  I  am  not 
sure.  Dr.  Nassau  thinks  he  can  make  a  rich 
place  for  me  to  plant  some  cucumbers.  Please 
send  another  paper  of  cucumber-seed  and  one  of 
egg-plant, — they  will  get  here  for  the  beginning 
of  the  rains. 

Did  I  write  that  the  medicine  in  bottles  came 
safely  ?  The  pepsin  was  not  as  good  as  that  which 
came  in  the  silver  paper, — moulded  some;  but 
Charley  did  not  need  it.  .  .  . 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  did  not  leave  until  a  year 
later.  They  held  on  hoping,  even  as  we,  and,  after 
the  departure  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Heer,  in  June, 
those  two  Gaboon  friends  (besides  the  Benita  trio) 
were  the  only  missionaries  in  the  field.  The  Ga- 
boon Mission  had  not  then  been  transferred  from 
the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.;  but  the  mutual  loneliness  of 
the  two  missions  bridged  over  the  narrow  separat- 
ing line  in  Africa  before  that  line  had  been  removed 
in  America.  Occasionally  there  eame  a  gleam  of 
hope  of  reinforcement  that  left  the  shadows  darker 
when  it  failed.  Such  was  the  expectation  of  a 
medical  missionary  for  whose  coming  from  Mis- 
souri we  had  been  encouraged  to  look.  Expected 
supplies  from  America  did  not  come;  and,  as  our 
own  storehouse  was    exhausted,  we  would  have 


330 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


had  to  rely  on  native   provisions,  except  for  the 
occasional  gifts  of  trading  vessels. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    REV.  W.  W.  LATTA. 

Benita,  May  9,  1870. 

We  are  very  much  cheered  by  the  intelligence 
in  the  last  mission-letter  that  a  physician  and  his 
wife  from  the  West  would  probably  be  added  to 
our  number  shortly.  Dr.  Lowrie  thinks  the  gen- 
tleman is  an  elder  in  the  Church,  and  I  suppose 
their  coming  is  about  a  certainty.  I  hope  they 
may  be  sent  out  by  way  of  England  just  as  soon 
as  they  are  able  to  come,  for  we  certainly  feel  the 
need  of  reinforcement. 

Mr.  Menaul  will  doubtless  visit  you;  and,  as  he 
has  a  warm  Irish  heart  and  a  high  appreciation  of 
the  little  I  could  do  for  him,  you  may  be  surprised 
with  quite  a  eulogium  on  your  niece's  good  quali- 
ties. I  warn  you  in  time  to  make  due  deductions. 
...  He  has  great  mechanical  ingenuity,  and  helped 
me  clean  my  sewing-machine  more  perfectly  than 
it  had  been  cleaned  before  in  eleven  years.  After- 
wards he  complimented  me  by  saying  to  Dr.  Nas- 
sau, "  I  think  that,  next  to  myself,  Mrs.  Nassau  has 
the  most  mechanical  genius  of  any  one  in  the 
mission;"  and  my  husband  was  kind  enough  to 
reply  that  he  did  not  doubt  it.  I  guess  I  must 
resemble  my  uncle  somewhat. 


FADING  AWAY. 


331 


I  was  very  glad  to  get  your  last  letter,  and  I 
would  write  to  you  every  mail  whether  I  had  a 
letter  to  answer  or  not ;  but  I  have  not  always 
energy  for  more  than  the  letter  to  Aunt  Mary 
Ann  to  let  you  all  know  that  I  am  still  in  the  land 
of  the  dying.  ...  I  believe  I  am  complaining 
oftener  than  any  one  else,  though  not  sick  enough 
for  bed.  .  .  . 

Because  of  tribal  quarrels  between  the  Kombe, 
at  Bonita,  the  Benga,  at  Corisco,  and  Mpongwe, 
at  Gaboon,  we  were  dependent  for  the  sending  and 
reception  of  letters  entirely  on  irregular  transient 
trading-vessels.  For  this  and  other  favors  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  trade  we  are  greatly  indebted. 
While  their  rum  traffic  and  the  dissolute  lives  of 
most  of  those  connected  with  it  distressed  us  in 
our  work,  their  personal  kindness  to  ourselves 
constantly  merited  our  thanks.  Especially  was  this 
true  of  the  agents  of  a  Glasgow  firm,  John  Laugh-( 
land  &  Co.,  and  of  Dr.  R.  B.  N.  Walker,  agent  of  a\ 
Liverpool  firm,  Hatton  &  Cookson.  Mrs.  Nassau 
mentions,  on  May  13,  1870: 

"  I  never  met  him  until  lately ;  but  he  is  only 
too  kind  in  all  his  offers.  The  last  time  he  was 
here  I  was  thinking  of  going  to  Gaboon  with 
Bessie,  and  asked  passage  on  his  vessel.  He  re- 
plied   that   neither   his    captain  nor  accommoda- 


332 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND, 


tioiis  were  fit  for  a  lady,  but  he  would  send  a 
vessel  for  me  next  week  that  should  stop  and  let 
me  sleep  at  Corisco  and  take  me  on  to  Gaboon. 
Mr.  Menaul's  serious  illness,  however,  decided  him 
to  go  home  immediately,  so  Bessie  was  not  taken 
to  Gaboon." 

"  No !  earth  has  angels,  though  their  forms  are  moulded 
But  of  such  clay  as  fashions  all  below ; 
Though  harps  are  wanted  and  bright  pinions  folded, 
We  know  them  by  the  love-light  on  their  brow !" 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THROUGH    THE   WATERS. 

August  30-September  10,  1870.     Benita. 

"  And  at  even  my  wife  died." 

When  tropic  tornado  storms  are  coming,  all 
beings,  even  the  lower  animals,  can  see  the  defi- 
nitely-outlined cloud  gathering,  and  are  warned  by 
the  lull  and  apparent  peace.  Yet  the  initial  crash 
of  wind,  rain,  thunder,  and  lightning  startles,  and, 
by  its  suddenness,  finds  them  unprepared. 

Our  own  eyes  had  seen  the  danger  of  a  too-long 
continuance  at  the  Benita  post.  And  loving,  anx- 
ious, friendly  hearts  had  written,  "  Do  not  longer 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


333 


stay:  come  back  to  America  and  recruit."  But 
those  kind  hearts — not  knowing  that  we  three 
stood,  last  of  the  mission,  alone — had  not  inti- 
mated that  there  would  be  no  dishonor  in  leaving 
our  post.  So  we  stood  by  the  dismantled  ship  as 
engulfing  waves  curled  around  it. 

Blind,  so  blind !  Even  yet  we  did  not  talk  of 
death. 

"  Weary  and  so  tired !"  she  would  say  on  the 
lounge,  even  while  planning  for  the  future. 

And  still  it  was  her  hopeful  spirit  that  encour- 
aged ;  and  Jicr  accustomed  smile  that  aroused  my 
own  crippled  feet  to  the  weekly  visit  by  canoe  to 
the  sister  at  Bolondo,  or  that  rose  to  welcome  that 
sister's  return  visit. 

And  we  still  planned  for  the  future. 

MRS.  NASSAU   TO    MISS    M.  A.  LATTA, 

Benita,  Aug.  1 6,  1S70. 

Here  is  the  middle  of  the  month,  and  our  mail 
not  yet  arrived ;  but  we  are  hoping  to  see  it  as 
soon  as  that  slow  bird  of  passage,  the  "  Love- 
Bird,"  arrives  from  Fernando  Po.  She  was  ex- 
pected on  the  twelfth,  but  as  she  is  always  behind 
her  time,  no  one  expected  her  very  much.  I  sup- 
pose you  do  not  expect  to  hear  regularly  in  these 
degenerate  times.  Benita  is  certainly  very  much 
in  a  corner. 

29 


334 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


We  have  a  captain  with  us  at  present,  who  has 
come  ashore  to  recruit,  from  a  trading  vessel  lying 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  He  is  not  sick  in  bed, 
but — what  is  about  as  bad — he  has  no  appetite; 
and  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  anything  he  will 
eat.  His  vessel  has  come  to  buy  red-wood;  and 
they  have  given  out  "  trust,"  which  will  stay  out 
awhile,  I  fear,  before  they  get  it  in  in  any  shape. 
The  sailors  do  not  like  the  captain,  and  are  glad 
to  be  rid  of  him  for  awhile ;  so  I  suppose  he 
troubles  me  less  than  he  does  the  crew. 

How  many  more  comforts  we  missionaries  have 
than  those  who  come  out  to  trade  on  the  coast ! 
And  yet  there  is  not  often  any  lack  of  young 
men  ready  to  run  the  risk  of  dying  alone,  for  a 
little  money.  Their  salaries  are  not  high  either; 
and  I  doubt  whether  any  of  them  save  much, — 
that  is  of  the  clerks.  Perhaps  some  of  the  agents 
make  money;  and  the  owners  at  home  must  make 
large  profits  sometimes,  or  there  would  not  be 
so  many  houses  engaged  in  the  West  African 
trade. 

The  cucumber-seed  you  sent  grew  nicely,  and 
the  vines  bore  well ;  but  the  dry  season  has  nearly 
killed  them.  Sister  Bella  sent  me'  a  few  tomatoes 
the  other  day ;  but  I  do  not  know  whether  they 
came  from  the  seed  you  sent,  or  some  she  received 
at  the  same  time  from  Lawrenceville, — I  think  the 
latter.     When  the  rains  come,  I  intend  to  try  rais- 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


335 


ing  a  few  cucumbers  by  having  good  earth  carried 
for  the  hills. 

Mr.  Walker  sent  Sister  Bella  a  present  of  a  little 
pig  last  month ;  so  we  are  going  to  kill  our  big 
one  soon,  and  let  the  little  one  grow.  We  are  also 
expecting  to  eat  our  old  turkey-gobbler  next 
Thursday,  as  I  had  a  present  of  a  pair  of  turkeys 
from  the  vessel  lying  near  us,  and  we  have  to  keep 
the  new  gobbler  shut  up  until  the  other  is  disposed 
of  You  see  we  are  not  in  danger  of  starving:  im- 
mediately,  though  we  would  like  to  know  where 
our  supplies  of  sugar  and  butter  are. 

Thus  she  cheerfully  wrote  and  spoke,  even  while 
stinting  herself  to  lengthen  out  the  few  necessaries 
that  yet  remained  in  the  almost  empty  provision- 
room  of  the  mission  storehouse. 

So  I  did  not  think  strangely  of  her  long  lying 
on  the  lounge,  as,  hopeless  of  receiving  anything 
from  New  York,  I  sat  Tuesday,  August  30,  mak- 
ing out  a  large  order  for  goods  and  supplies  to 
Glasgow.  Nor  was  it  strange,  after  awhile,  when 
she  arose  and  had  sat  by  me  to  watch  my  pen  or 
suggest  for  the  order  the  names  of  needed  articles 
of  ladies'  wear,  and  food,  and  medicine  (it  was  the 
last  work  she  did  for  the  mission),  that  she  asked 
for  some  medicine  for  biliousness,  and  went  to  her 
room  sick  at  stomach.  It  was  not  a  new  story. 
Nor,  next  morning,  when  I  was  called  from  mar- 


336  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

keting,  to  find  her  in  a  severe  chill ;  it  seemed  only 
the  usual  intermittent. 

Only  after  Thursday  and  Friday  had  gone  by, — 
not  constantly  confined  to  the  bed, — Saturday  pre- 
sented a  gleam  of  the  old  sprightliness,  as  she 
dressed  in  the  afternoon,  and  under  an  unusual 
appetite  ate  a  hearty  supper,  and  joked  about 
"breeding  a  famine."     A  gleam  that  went  out. 

On  the  next  day,  Sabbath,  September  4,  the 
chill  returned  with  more  frightful  power.  The 
meaning  of  that  congestive  remittent  was  no 
longer  mistakable. 

Then  those  long,  intense  days, — Monday,  Tues- 
day, Wednesday,  Thursday, — minutes  for  years. 
No  thought  for  work,  or  natives,  or  religious  ser- 
vices, or  even  baby  Charley.  Every  intense  energy 
lay  in  that  little  room,  and  for  the  quiet,  emotion- 
less face  and  lustreless  eyes,  and  lips  parched,  apa- 
thetic,— that  longed  for  ice  where  ice  had  never 
been, — and  saffroned  skin  that  felt  sirocco-touched 
even  while  the  cold  sea-breeze  played  on  it.  How 
each  hour  was  watched,  each  symptom  met,  every 
possibility  studied !  How  life's  chances  were 
weighed  in  that  and  this  combination  of  plan  and 
effort ! 

There  was  one  little  hope. 

This  vitality  that  has  lasted  a  week,  where -strong 
men  have  sunk  in  three  days,  if  transferred  to  dif- 
ferent air  may  survive. 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


337 


Shall  she  go  to  England  ?  Can  this  house  be 
closed  and  the  premises  left  in  care  of  a  native  ? 
Can  Sister  Bella,  until  I  return  in  three  months, 
be  left  at  Bolondo  with  her  Liberian  assistant? 
Shall  Charley  accompany  or  stay  ?  Shall  the 
journey  be  attempted  to  Fernando  Po,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles  north,  with  winds  favorable, 
but  over  a  rocky  route,  with  which  this  tribe  is 
not  acquainted,  and  which  includes  the  crossing, 
out  of  sight  of  land,  of  forty  miles  of  a  bay  marked 
by  treacherous  currents  ?  Or  shall  we  go  ninety 
miles  south,  to  Gaboon,  in  the  teeth  of  an  oppos- 
ing wind,  but  over  a  route  I  know,  and  at  the  end 
of  which  are  missionary  friends  ?  Can  a  crew  be 
obtained  to  go  in  the  "Benita?"  None!  The  ill 
will  of  a  former  Benga  friend  at  Cape  St.  John, 
who  imagines  I  have  interfered  with  his  trade 
prospects,  has  caused  him,  some  weeks  previous,  to 
utter  (about  a  missionary)  the  rare  threat  that  he 
"  will  seize  the  '  Benita,'  and  any  crew"  I  may  send 
in  it.  But  surely  he  would  make  no  assault  while 
an  invalid  lady  is  in  the  boat  ?  I  think  not.  I 
trust  him.  But  none  of  the  Kombe  will  trust  him 
or  venture  themselves.  But  there  is  a  little  sloop- 
rigged  cutter,  the  "  Witch"  (no  longer,  and  not  as 
fast,  but  stronger  and  wider  than  the  "  Benita"), 
owned  by  Hamilton,  a  colored  Sierra  Leone  trader 
across  the  river,  near  Mbini. 

Perhaps  he  will  lend  it !  "  Go  and  ask  for  it  at 
29* 


338 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


any  price!"  He  has  received  kindness  at  her 
hands,  and  promptly  assents  to  the  use  of  the 
"  Witch,"  offers  his  own  Kombe  crew  and  personal 
aid  and  presence,  to  the  limits  of  the  next  tribe, 
the  Bapuku,  and  there  will  obtain  another  crew 
who  are  not  afraid  of  Benga  or  Mpongwe. 

How  those  four  days,  intense  to  the  watchers, 
passed  wearily  to  the  sick  one !  Dozing,  but 
not  refreshed  by  sleep;  faint  for  food,  but  not 
tempted  by  even  the  variety  that  love's  art  could 
educe  from  paucity  of  resource  ;  patient  to  swallow 
again  and  again  medicines  against  which  the 
stomach  painfully  rebelled  ;  uncomplaining  of 
what  she  had  accepted  as  inevitable ;  submissive 
as  if  to  God's  will ;  pleased  even  when  it  was  an 
effort  to  smile;  enlivened,  as — borne  in  a  hammock 
slung  from  a  bamboo  pole  on  the  shoulders  of  two 
affectionate  natives,  with  most  careful  tread — she 
passed  under  the  shadow  of  the  church-roof,  and 
asked  "  When  will  it  be  finished  ?"  and  "  Where 
will  I  be  then  ?"  gentle,  under  all  arrangements 
made  without  asking  advice,  which  prostration  had 
made  her  too  emotionless  to  give  ;  or  consent  to 
plans  to  which  apathy  had  no  objection.  Even 
the  purpose  to  ^o  to  Gaboon  excited  no  inquiry 
as  to  details.  Only  thrice  did  the  characteristic 
life  gleam ;  when  generosity  spurred  to  an  earn- 
est charge  for  the  future  care  of  a  faithful  nurse — 
when  friendship  designated  parting  gifts  to  native 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


339 


friends ;  and,  when  mother-love  overheard  and 
vetoed  our  intention  of  leaving  behind  two-year- 
old  baby  Charley. 

At  last  the  repairs  of  the  trading-boat  were 
complete,  and  a  Kombe  crew  obtained,  who  were  to 
return  with  the  crew  of  another  (a  small  native) 
boat,  which  would  accompany  us  to  the  rendezvous 
at  Aje, 

Early  on  Friday,  September  9,  the  baggage  for 
the  journey  to  England  was  stored  in  the  "  Witch," 
Besides  ourselves  and  little  Charley's  nurse,  Mrs, 
Sneed,  the  company  consisted  of  our  Sierra  Leone 
friend,  who  took  charge  of  the  rudder,  three  of 
his  Kombe  crew  to  manage  the  sails,  and  two 
native  Christians,  young  men  of  the  Vune  tribe,  Ev'/ 
who  were  willing  to  go  with  me  as  far  as  Gaboon, 
as  cook  and  servant.  For  the  journey  thither,  that 
time  might  not  be  lost  by  running  ashore  for  food 
or  water,  we  took  water  and  fowls  and  fresh  pro- 
visions for  five  days,  fuel,  and  a  box  of  sand  for 
stove ;  a  goat  and  canned  milk  for  Charley ;  ropes, 
twine,  and  tools  for  possible  damage. 

At  5  A.M.  the  hammock  was  brought  to -Mrs.  '* 
Nassau's  bedroom,  laid  on  her  bed,  and  she  lifted 
into  it  and  gently  carried  down  the  descent  to  the 
water-side,  and  thence,  these  same  bearers  stand- 
ing in  a  canoe,  was  paddled  to  a  boat.  She  would 
have  preferred  our  trim  "  Benita ;"  for  the  "  Witch," 
used  for  purposes  of  trade,  was  rough  and  less 


340 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


cleanly.  But  its  greater  width  furnished  space  in 
the  middle,  where  a  level  flooring  seven  feet  long 
and  five  feet  wide  was  placed  as  a  bed-frame  in  the 
bottom,  over  the  swash  of  water  that  would  per- 
sist in  leaking.  Over  this,  just  high  enough  to  sit 
crouchingly,  was  built  a  palm-thatch  roof  resting 
on  the  gunwales.  This  bed-frame  was  covered 
with  an  entire  mattress,  and  was  made  comfortable 
with  blankets  and  other  covering,  not  against  cold 
(for  Mrs.  Nassau  constantly  had  said  she  was  too 
warm),  but  to  keep  the  bed  soft. 

Loose  things  were  stowed  away  ;  and,  as  far  as 
possible,  provisions  and  other  things  offensive  to 
invalid  eye  or  nostril  were  placed  to  the  leeward. 
And  we  started,  leaving  Sister  Bella  and  Miss 
Sneed  to  close  the  premises,  and  take  the  keys  to 
their  own  Bolondo  house. 

A  slight  drizzling  rain,  premonitory  of  the  rainy 
season,  alternated  with  sunshine,  until  the  wind  in- 
creased. It  was  the  toilsome  Monda  (south  wind) 
directly  ahead,  and  against  which  there  is  no  pro- 
gress but  by  "  tacking."  How  we  tacked  all  that 
long  weary  day  !  counting  each  point  of  coast  as 
we  crept  around  them  :  Sipolu,  three  miles  ;  Duba, 
six ;  Ndoti,  eight ;  Hanje,  ten ;  Ilende,  fifteen. 
Then  night  fell,  and  we  ran  in  toward  the  breakers 
that  line  the  mouth  of  AjC  creek.  Only  eighteen 
miles  in  fourteen  hours  ! 

We  were  too  sea-sick  to  eat,  except  Mrs.  Nassau, 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


341 


who  drank  at  intervals  during  the  day  a  little  toast- 
water  or  chicken-soup  or  wine.  The  only  space 
for  the  fire  was  forward,  and  the  wind  drove  the 
smoke  aft.  She  could  be  saved  the  discomfort 
only  by  extinguishing  the  embers  after  each  use  of 
them  for  herself  or  Charley,  whom  the  narrow 
limits  of  the  boat — so  unlike  his  daily  wide  range 
— made  capricious  for  his  frequently-warmed  milk. 

The  native  boat  soon  came  alongside,  and  our 
Sierra  Leone  friend  went  ashore  to  obtain  a  Bapuku 
crew  for  Gaboon.  The  Aje  people  had  heard  of 
my  Benga  friend's  charge  and  threat;  some  of 
them  assented  to  both,  for  Aje  had  thought  I  had 
prejudiced  traders  against  them  also.  He  readily 
obtained  one  man,  a  Benga,  an  Evangasimba 
church-member,  who  was  one  of  the  first  three  I 
had  baptized  at  Corisco,  and  who  had  been  in 
Mrs.  Nassau's  service  there.  After  hours  of  effort 
a  second  man,  an  Upuku,  was  obtained. 

At  1 1  P.M.  the  wind  had  so  increased  in  violence 
that  we  dared  not  take  up  anchor ;  and  yet  lying 
just  at  the  creek's  mouth  we  caught  every  rolling 
wave  that  broke  on  the  surf  inside.  The  uneasy 
jerking  of  the  boat  hour  after  hour  prevented  rest. 
Rain  fell  continuously  but  not  heavily.  The 
thatch  over  the  middle  of  the  boat  protected  Mrs. 
Nassau  ;  but,  it  being  open  fore  and  aft  for  air,  the 
bedding  and  extra  clothing  at  the  ends  became 
damp.     For  the  other  three  of  us  umbrellas  were 


342 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


useless, — even  Charley  preferring  the  open  air  in 
Mrs.  Sneed's  wet  arms  to  the  close  air  by  his 
mother,  who,  as  we  waited  for  that  wind  to  sub- 
side, in  intervals  of  incoherent  moans  called  for 
him  to  come  to  her  under  the  protection  of  the 
roof. 

By  3  A.M.  of  Saturday  the  rain  had  beaten  down 
the  waves  to  something  of  quietness,  and  itself 
had  ceased,  and  we  began  to  put  up  sail.  Our 
Sierra  Leone  friend  had  stayed  by,  waiting  to  see 
us  fairly  under  way. 

As  he  was  about  starting  in  the  little  native 
boat,  with  his  two  Kombe  crews  to  Benita,  it  was 
proposed  to  Mrs.  Nassau — as  in  the  extremity  of 
her  weakness  and  in  the  face  of  the  inevitable  dis- 
comforts of  the  journey — to  send  with  him  baby 
Charley,  restless  for  the  shore,  and  fretting  under 
the  restrictions  of  a  boat.  The  proposition  had  to 
be  repeated  very  slowly  and  distinctly  three  times 
before  her  fading  perceptions  gathered  its  full  force. 
Then  she  rose  on  one  elbow,  as  if  to  seize  this  last 
one  of  her  jewels,  and  said  clearly  and  decidedly, 
"  I  am  going  to  Gaboon,  and  Charley  goes  too." 

We  started  immediately  with  a  light,  though 
still  opposing,  wind.  When  daylight  came  the 
sun  shone  bright  and  clear  and  hot,  and  dried 
clothing  and  whatever  else  was  wet  with  night's 
rain.  With  constant  tacking  we  were  moving 
rapidly,  but  making  very  little  real  progress.    The 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


343 


crew  was  small.  My  two  Vune  men  knew  but 
little  about  the  sea,  but  the  Benga  and  the  Upuku 
were  skillful  sailors,  and  they  two  held  tiller  and 
drew  sheet  with  care  and  hearty  interest  to  gain 
every  point  in  the  wind.  The  reluctance  with 
which  they  had  hired  for  the  journey  disappeared, 
as  they  looked  with  pity  on  the  invalid  at  their 
feet,  or  with  subdued  voices  calculated  chances  of 
turning  cape  after  cape. 

Her  symptoms  grew  more  distressing.  Then 
again  the  pain  would  ease  and  she  would  fall  into 
stupor,  from  which  she  would  arouse  to  ask  of  the 
progress,  and  would  awake  almost  to  interest  as 
on  a  landward  tack  she  would  want  to  know 
whether  we  had  rounded  the  point  of  land  or  were 
driven  back.  How  our  eyes  measured  the  distant 
shore,  as  she  asked  during  the  day,  "  Have  we 
come  to  Itembwe  ?"  "  Have  we  passed  Ulaba  ?" 
"  Are  we  near  Cape  St.  John  ?" 

The  only  thought  of  all  at  the  start  was  to  keep 
on  uninterruptedly  to  Gaboon ;  but  as  the  day 
wore,  the  first  utterance  of  her  wish  to  stop  at 
Elobi  Islands  in  Corisco  Bay — whither  the  sea- 
breeze  would  probably  compel  us — found  a  prompt 
response  not  only  in  the  assent,  but  in  the  tired 
wish  of  all.  She  spoke  with  pleasure  of  the 
stopping,  seemed  interested  in  calculations  of  time 
of  arrival  there  (which  it  was  hoped  might  be  by 
sunset),  and  we  talked  how  she  should  go  ashore 


344 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


to  a  certain  trading-house,  should  be  bathed,  and 
should  rest  on  the  Sabbath. 

When  not  crouching  by  her  under  the  thatch 
roof,  I  was  sitting  just  outside  by  and  above  her 
head  where  her  face  was  at  my  feet,  and  when  her 
lips  moved  could  promptly  creep  down  to  her 
assistance.  A  shawl  or  piece  of  matting,  hung  at 
each  open  end  of  the  roof,  was  let  down  or  flung 
back  according  as  sunlight  and  her  wishes  indi- 
cated. 

The  stiff  sea-breeze  dissipated  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing Elobi  by  sunset.  Then  we  hoped  for  arrival 
there  by  9  p.m.,  but  she  had  ceased  pleadingly  to 
ask,  "  Are  we  almost  there  ?"  and  either  lay  still  or 
spoke  wanderingly. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  when,  refreshed  by  the 
cool  wind,  she  lay  awake  and  had  eaten  a  little 
food,  she  asked  for  an  opium  pill  to  relieve  some 
symptom  ;  and  at  sunset,  finding  we  were  only  just 
laboring  around  Cape  St.  John  (only  i8  miles  from 
Aje),  and  the  hope  of  being  at  Elobi  by  9  p.m. 
failed,  she  accepted  the  assurance  that  we  would 
certainly  be  there  in  time  to  enjoy  the  rest  on 
Sabbath. 

"  Yes  !  we'll  rest  on  Sabbath." 

She  did  not  speak  again. 

The  curtain  that  tropic  night  lets  fall  so  quickly 
after  the  uniform  six  o'clock  sunset  found  us,  with 
great   skill  on  the   part  of  the   crew,  turned  the 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


345 


rocky  southern  point  of  Cape  St.  John,  and  the 
strong  sea-breeze  on  our  quarter  fair  for  Elobi. 
The  boat  was  ghding  beautifully,  and  with  appa- 
rent rapidity,  through  the  water,  but  the  strong 
current  of  the  tide  ebbing  out  of  the  bay  prevented 
progress,  as  was  marked  by  one  after  another  of 
the  trees  on  the  near  shore. 

The  night  was  clear  and  starlight.  All  so  quiet! 
All  except  the  man  at  the  rudder  and  I  were 
asleep.  The  two  Vune  men  on  the  thwarts  for-  £v/ 
ward,  Charley  on  Mrs.  Sneed's  lap,  in  the  stern 
one  side  of  the  steersman,  and  I  on  the  gunwale 
on  the  other,  could  hear  Mrs.  Nassau  if  she  should 
speak,  but  could  not  see  her  face  in  the  sail's 
shadow. 

The  tide  is  ebbing  swiftly  and  must  soon  turn, 
and  we'll  be  at  Elobi  long  before  daylight.  Is  a 
life  ebbing  away  under  this  thatch?  Stoop  and 
listen  to  her  quiet  breathing, — infant-like, —  not 
stertorous  as  during  the  fitful  day. 

It  must  be  as  late  as  nine  o'clock.  All  is  clear 
and  safe. 

Will,  that  has  not  eaten  or  slept  for  forty  hours, 
fails,  and  eyes  sleep. 

How  long  passed,  I  do  not  know.  An  hour? 
Perhaps  two. 

Suddenly  starting  awake,  alarmed  vigilance  is 
relieved  by  the  steersman's  response  that  the  boat 
is  all  right  and  bounding  on  the  way  to   Elobi. 

30 


346 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


The  tide  has  ebbed  out,  and,  turnhig,  is  bearing  us 
rapidly  on  its  flow. 

But  of  the  Hfc  at  my  side :  has  it  ebbed  away? 

As  my  hand  seeks  the  forehead  and  wontedly 
smooths  the  temples,  they  are  warm  and  pleasant. 
Her  hands,  fondled,  are  cold. 

Startled?  No;  it's  only  the  cold  of  the  night 
air  on  the  uncovered  arms.  Chafe  the  fingers  to 
warmth. 

They  do  not  flinch  even  at  an  accidental  twist! 

Thrust  a  hand  into  her  bosom.     It  is  warm. 

But,  such  silence ! 

Heart-throb,  pulse,  breath,  there  is  none ! 

But  drag  out  the  mattress,  Avith  the  energy  of  a 
last  hope,  into  the  fair  moonlight!  Waken  these 
sleepers  to  assist  in  chafing  hands  and  feet !  Sprinkle 
briny  sea-drops  in  her  face !  Pour  stimulant  through 
these  lips !  Vain,  give  o'er.  The  fastened  teeth 
cannot  swallow.     Cold  creeps  over  face  and  limbs. 

And  the  little  hope  was  dead. 

The  tide  had  ebbed;  was  out.  It  has  turned; 
but  it  flows  only  in  Eternity. 

Close  the  eyes,  they  cannot  see ;  close  the  lips, 
they  cannot  speak.  Replace  the  mattress  and  its 
unconscious  burden  under  the  thatch. 

"Turn  the  boat  back  to  Benita!" 

There  is  no  watch  to  tell  the  hour,  but  the  tide 
and  the  i:etm3- moon  mounting  toward  the  zenith, 
tell  about  eleven  p.m.    It  will  soon  be  the  Sabbath. 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


347 


All  these  now-electrified  eyes  had  been  asleep 
except  the  steersman's.     Had  she  spoken  ? 

Fatal  hour !  "  Couldst  thou  not  watch  with  me 
one  hour  ?" 

Perhaps  she  spoke.  Possibly  it  was  a  word 
from  her  that  aroused  me.  Sounds  as  slight  had 
awakened  the  unquiet,  broken  rest  in  other  boat 
journeys  on  the  restless  sea.  Perhaps  the  rustling 
of  a  spirit's  wing  !  Had  she  asked  for  help  in  vain, 
in  breath  too  faint  for  sleeping  ears  ?  Was  this 
last  hour  of  martyr-life  crowned  with  thorny  pain  ? 

Believe,  rather,  that  she  quietly  slept  away,  with- 
out pain  or  motion.  Posture,  photographed  on 
memory  in  that  terrible  light  of  events  and  the 
clear  light  of  the  moon,  was  marked,  when  smooth- 
ing her  forehead  on  first  awakening,  as  the  same 
natural  flexure  of  body  and  limbs, — the  same  quiet 
crossed  hands  on  the  breast,  the  same  calm,  pain- 
less face  that  had  been  breathing  so  peacefully 
when  I  looked  for  her  wishes  an  hour  before. 

"  Back  to  Benita !" 

Nothing  has  a  voice,  nor  a  tear ! 

The  crew  sit  silent  and  motionless,  except  to 
tighten  a  rope  or  trim  the  boat,  as  it  slowly  works 
back  against  the  tide  to  Cape  St.  John, 

Voiceless  and  tearless.  Even  the  sea  ripples 
only  subduedly  now  that  it  hath  wrought  its  min- 
istry of  pain. 

The  hours  go  slowly  by.     And  the  blessed  min- 


348  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

istry  of  sleep  comes  to  all  again,  save  to  steersman, 
who  must  not,  and  to  watcher,  who  cannot  sleep. 

All  as  silent  as  those  who  sleep  the  sleep  of  the 
pale  sleeper  at  my  feet. 

"Would  we  could  sleep  as  they, 

Stainless  and  so  calm ;  at  rest  with  Thee, 
And  only  wake  in  immortality. 
Bear  us  with  them  away, 

O  Night ! 
To  that  eternal,  holier,  happier  height." 

The  moon  sinks.  It  is  past  midnight.  Sabbath. 
She  has  entered  into  its  rest. 

Voiceless  and  tearless.  Nothing  has  a  voice, 
save  the  waves  that  fling  their  white  hands  so 
madly  on  the  remorseless  cliffs  of  Cape  St.  John. 
Thou  mayest 

"  Break,  break,  break, 
On  thy  cold,  gray  stones,  O  Sea," 

thou  hast  accomplished  thy  bitter  service  of  tumul- 
tuous pain  and  agonizing  weariness. 

Pitiless  Night !  that  can  look  so  calmly  and 
beautifully,  where  beauty  meets  no  response,  and 
calmness  is  not  prayed  for.  Thy  beauty  and  thy 
calmness,  thy  tumult  and  thy  dread  are  alike  boot- 
less to  the  dead. 

The  morning  light  streaks  the  east,  but  the  light, 
too,  is  pitiless.     It  gives  back  nothing.     No  pro- 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


349 


mise,  nor  even  tears.  It  gives  not  even  Sabbath 
rest.  She  has  ah'eady  found  the  rest  agony  prayed 
for.     Ere  this 

"  morn  came  dim  and  sad, 

And  chill  with  early  showers  ; 
Her  quiet  eyelids  closed, — she  had 
Another  morn  than  ours." 

Voiceless  !  Tearless!  Even  the  sea,  smoothly 
heaving,  does  not  ripple  against  the  prow.  The 
fitful  wind  only  flaps  the  sail.  Are  all  the  silent 
forms  still  sleeping?     Will  no  one  speak? 

Pray  for  the  ministry  of  tears  ;  these  eyes 

"  must  weep, 
Or  else  this  heavy  heart  will  break." 

Thought  becomes  tangible, — as  if  it  were  an 
object  of  sense.  Bodily  organs  and  limbs  and 
members  have  all  become  as  one  organ ;  and  all 
senses  one  new  sense, — the  sense  of  flow, — that 
takes  cognizance  of  all  else  as  atoms  in  a  stream  of 
thought,  flowing  through  that  one  organ.  And 
being  consists  only  in  recognizing  that  sensation 
of  flowing.  So,  these  are  not  clouds  in  the  sky, — 
there  is  no  sky  or  cloud ;  they  are  only  atoms 
with  the  many  other  atoms  flowing  through  me. 
Are  these  forms  men  ?  and  do  they  speak  ?  or 
boat  ?  or  sail  ?  or  trees  on  the  passing  beach  ?  or 

.10* 


350 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


beach  ?  or  earth  ?  or  sea  ?  They  are  not  organ- 
ized ;  they  only  float  as  atoms  of  thought;  and, 
with  space  and  time  and  everything  else,  plunge 
through  this  new  organ  with  its  new  one  sense. 
There  is  no  hearing,  seeing,  feeling,  smelling, 
tasting, — 

'/r  there  anything  ? 
O,  Tnou  ! — if  Thou  art,  help  me, — if  I  am, 
God  is.     Brain  would  craze,  away  from  that  pivotal  truth. 

And  this  is  baby  Charley  pulling  at  my  hand  ; 
and  the  Upuku  man  is  asking,  shall  he  "  stop  at 
Ajc  ?"  "No!  I  want  your  aid  to  Benita.  Go 
on." 

Yes,  this  is  the  boat !  and  the  crew  have  been 
awake  for  a  long  time.  And  it  is  baby  Charley ! 
And  this  form,  outlined  through  the  white  cover, 
was  his  mother, — and  she  had  helped  me  bury 
baby  Paull, — we  two,  alone,  in  secret,  at  night, — 
and  we  had  sent  away  her  first-born  across  the  sea. 
All,  with  a  thousand  other  truths  come  back  ;  and 
organisms  locate  themselves  naturally.  But  with 
pain. 

"And  I  hold  within  my  hand 
Grains  of  the  golden  sand ; 
How  few  !    Yet  how  they  creep 
Through  my  fingers  to  the  deep. 
O  God,  can  I  not  grasp 
Them  in  a  tighter  clasp  ? 
O  God,  can  I  not  save 
One  from  the  pitiless  wave  ?" 

^Ux.dL    JLc^^.i^^u^    ^     ^.rV^     ^    --^ 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


351 


A  few  miles  beyond,  the  Benga,  in  his  tribal  fear 
of  Kombe,  thought  it  not  safe  for  him  to  go  far- 
ther, and  he  was  permitted  to  disembark  in  a  pass- 
ing canoe  near  Hanje. 

About  I  P.M.,  in  crossing  the  mouth  of  the  Bo- 
nita,  our  approach  was  observed  from  Bolondo  ; 
and  messengers,  with  Miss  Sneed  and  the  Mbade 
keys,  were  sent  along  the  beach  to  meet  us. 

At  Mbade  a  well-dressed  company,  just  dispers- 
ing from  the  prayer-meeting  held  by  natives,  in 
place  of  the  regular  morning  service,  came  down 
the  bluff  to  the  water-side,  and,  regardless  of  their 
best  clothing,  waded  into  the  water  to  seize  the 
gunwales  as  the  keel  grated  on  the  beach.  The 
quick  instinct  of  the  gathering  crowd  read  our 
quiet  faces,  and  there  was  not  a  word  of  the  usual 
boisterous  welcome, — nor  a  salutation, — only  an 
electric  whisper,  "y^  wendi'"  (She  is  dead).  They 
were  very  pitying  and  respectful. 

I  do  not  know  to-day  who  they  were ;  I  believe 
some  were  Christians,  some  heathens, — some  were 
my  own  employes,  some  townspeople.  I  saw 
hands  lifting  out  Mrs.  Sneed  and  Charley, — felt 
that  the  thatch  was  flung  aside, — some  one  lifted 
me  ashore,  as  many  hands  gently  but  firmly  raised 
the  entire  bed-frame  and  preceded  me  up  the  hill 
and  laid  it  at  my  feet,  as  I  sat  down  on  the  step 
of  the  end  door  of  the  bedroom.  The  natives 
gathered  round  the  covered  form  of  their  friend. 


352 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


They  were  kindly  unobtrusive,  but  wept  for  them- 
selves. 

Soon  the  keys  came,  the  mattress  was  lifted  into 
the  room,  and  Miss  Snced  gave  the  remains  her 
last  care,  while  I  opened  the  carpenter  shop.  The 
natives  had  known  how  to  make  only  oblong 
boxes.  I  had  learned  to  make  a  coffin  twice  be- 
fore. Two  of  my  young  men,  with  a  taste  for 
carpentering,  had  since  learned  from  my  hands, 
and  were  able,  with  the  measures  given  them  and 
outlines  penciled,  to  make  from  the  pine  boards 
neat  work  without  supervision. 

The  usual  Sabbath-school  was  omitted.  Many 
people  came  and  went,  or  sat  in  respectful,  tearful 
silence.  A  few  manifested  grief  in  their  native  way 
of  wailing  and  wringing  of  hands,  or  hands  laid 
on  their  heads,  and  moaning,  "  I-i-i-i,  mama-o ;" 
"  Mama  Nasa-o-o  ;"  "  Paia-o-o  ;"  "  Jai-e ;"  "  Ngebe 
mete;"  "  Bamani,  bamani ;"  "  Mbi  wend'-o-o." 

Some  of  the  poor  women  took  off  their  orna- 
ments, and  said,  "  Now  we  women  are  left  alone  !" 

My  elder  and  his  wife  came  from  Hanje.  He 
had  seen  the  boat  when  the  Benga  was  discharged 
in  the  morning. 

Sister  Bella  had  come  and  dressed  my  dead,  and 
in  the  evening  conducted  family  worship  ;  and  then 
we  laid  the  remains  in  the  white -muslin -lined 
coffin. 

Twenty-four  hours  is  a  long  time  to  delay  a 


THROUGH  THE  WATERS. 


353- 


burial  in  the  torrid  zone.  Nearly  thirty-six  had 
elapsed  when  the  funeral  company  gathered  on 
Monday  morning:  our  Sierra  Leone  friend, — the 
three  white  men  from  the  ship  and  the  trading- 
houses  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, — all  the 
prominent  chiefs  of  the  region, — educated  young 
men, — heathen  men  and  women,  who  had  been  re- 
cipients of  Mrs.  Nassau's  gentle  kindness, — repre- 
sentatives from  more  than  twenty  miles  distant. 

That  electric  whisper  of  the  preceding  day  had 
flown ! 

While  I  had  to  see  to  the  proper  making  of  the 
grave  in  the  difficulty  of  loose  sand,  other  hands 
had  surrounded  Mrs.  Nassau's  head  and  breast 
with  white  tropic-flowers. 

Standing  outside  the  house,  under  the  broad 
eaves,  by  the  coffin,  while  the  assemblage  stood 
or  sat  around,  I  read  the  90th  Psalm,  in  English. 
Then  was  answered  the  question,  "  Why  this 
waste?" — then  a  hymn,  and  a  prayer.  For  natives' 
sakes  these  were  in  their  own  language.  For  their 
sakes,  also,  it  was  an  occasion — even  at  a  sacrifice 
of  feeling — to  enter  or  act  a  protest,  more  earnest 
than  words,  against  their  extreme  superstitious  fear 
of  death.  As  but  few  of  them  had  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  her  face  since  the  return,  permis- 
sion was  then  given. 

And  then,  partly  to  the  same  end,  baby  Charley 
was  shown  the  flowers  by  "  dear  mother's"  face, — 


•354  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

his  hands  and  lips  placed  on  hers, — and  "  Good-by, 
mamma,"  said  for  him. 

Then  I  drove  the  twelve  nails  to" their  places. 
Six  young  men,  Christians,  —  special  pupils,  or 
faithful  servants  of  Mrs.  Nassau, — took  up  the 
coffin,  most  of  them  voluntarily,  as  I  led  the  way 
•down  the  arbored  path,  through  the  pine-apple 
garden,  by  the  trellis  of  passion-vines,  and  up  the 
knoll  to  the  cemetery,  a  few  hundred  feet  distant. 

At  the  grave,  the  coffin  was  placed  immediately; 
I  Cor.,  XV :  51-58,  and  Rev.,  vii :  12-17  ^^as  read. 
After  prayer,  on  my  expressed  wish,  the  entire 
company  dispersed,  while  the  bearers  remained 
with  me  to  complete  a  careful  closing  of  the  grave, 
suggested  by  distrust  of  heathen  sacrilege. 

Then  custom  required  my  presence  in  my  accus- 
tomed seat  in  the  public  reception-room,  to  receive 
the  parting  salutations  of  the  heads  of  families, — 
politeness  forbidding  them  to  go  without  that 
ceremohy. 

"  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters  they  shall  not  overflow 
thee." 


CA IRN-STONES.  355 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

CAIRN-STONES. 

"  Now,  here,  let  us  place  the  gray  stones  of  the  cairn." 

" this  marble  tells  the  rest, 

Where  melancholy  friendship  bends  and  weeps." 

In  a  savage  land,  where  distress  is  apt  to  be 
made  the  occasion  for  oppression,  there  were  often 
touching  incidentg^  that  showed  humanity  when 
least  expected.  Some  kindly  demonstrations  to- 
wards myself,  connected  with  Mrs.  Nassau's  decease, 
I  regarded  as  monumental  contributions  to  her 
memory. 

kindness  of  the  natives. 

On  returning  from  boat  journeys,  it  was  the 
custom  to  give  pay  to  those  who  assisted  in  un- 
loading and  carrying  boxes,  etc.  I  always  indi- 
cated who  of  the  crowd  on  the  beach  should  be 
permitted  to  help. 

When  the  "  Witch"  returned  on  that  Sabbath, 
Sept.  II,  1870,  I  did  not  choose  any;  they  put 
hands  to  service  voluntarily,  and  none  came  on 
Monday  to  ask  for  his  pittance.  The  boat  was 
discharged  without  my  presence,  or  even  a  direc- 


356  CROWNED  IN,  PALM-LAND. 

tion,  and  I  afterward  found  all  the  trunks  and 
boxes  placed  properly  on  the  porch,  and  whatever 
was  wet  spread  out  on  the  grass. 

When  I  told  the  Sierra  Leone  trader,  Hamilton, 
that  I  wished  him,  in  settling  my  bill,  to  pay  the 
Upuku  his  entire  wages  to  Gaboon,  as  if  the  jour- 
ney had  actually  been  made,  he  said  the  man  had 
told  him  "  he  did  not  care  if  he  received  nothing, 
'  for  the  pity  of  the  death.'  " 

People,  both  at  Kombe  and  Corisco,  showed  a 
delicacy  of  consideration  and  respectful  sympathy 
of  which  I  had  not  supposed  the  heathen  capable. 
They  seemed  to  transfer  to  me,  for  Mrs.  Nassau's 
sake,  a  portion  of  the  respect  and  affection  her 
character  had  evoked. 

The  absurd  charge  and  strange  threat  of  my 
Cape  St.  John  Benga  friend,  which  had  given  so 
much  difficulty  in  arranging  Mrs.  Nassau's  last 
journey,  had,  from  the  first,  determined  me  to  go 
to  his  town,  demand  the  cause  of  his  enmity,  and 
show  my  innocence.  The  Kombes  feared  so  ex- 
ceedingly that  I  could  get  no  one  to  go  with  me ; 
then  Mrs.  Nassau's  sickness  prevented,  then  my 
own  serious  illness  a  week  after  her  burial  made 
mc  fearful  of  exposure  to  the  rains.  On  Sept.  28 
I  obtained  a  passage  on  a  transient  trading-schooner 
to  Corisco  to  attend  to  the  Evangasimba  Com- 
munion service.  There  I  obtained  a  boat  and 
crew  to  bring  me  back  to  Kombe,  telling  them  I 


CAIRN^TONES. 


357 


intended  to  stop  at  Cape  St.  John  and  see  my 
enemy.  Scores  of  friendly  Bengas  came,  express- 
ing regret  that  their  only  remaining  missionary 
should  be  slandered  by  one  of  their  tribe,  and 
begging  me  not  to  stop  at  Cape  St.  John,  declaring 
that  I  would  be  subjected  to  violence.  When  I 
persisted,  saying  that  it  were  better  to  suffer  vio- 
lence than  to  seem  to  admit  a  charge  by  shunning 
that  village,  four  young  men,  without  my  knowl- 
edge, and  making  all  arrangements  without  refer- 
ence to  myself,  got  another  boat,  and  accompanied 
mine  across  the  bay  to  the  village  as  guard  and 
advocates.  My  truth  was  so  apparent  that  the 
enemy  became  again  a  friend. 

While  at  Corisco  at  that  time,  a  very  old  man, 
who  was  rarely  out  of  his  palm-wine, — one  of 
whose  daughters  had  been  at  Maluku  school  with 
us  and  was  my  favorite, — whose  manner  was  rather 
unpleasant  and  imperious  when  he  used,  half 
drunk,  to  visit  us  and  his  child,  and  who  did  not 
seem  to  have  taken  much  more  notice  of  Mrs. 
Nassau  than  to  ask  her  for  little  gifts,  said  to  me, 
pointing  upward,  "  And  so  she  is  gone  !  How  she 
used  to  fondle  Beyana !" 

"  Yes,  she  loved  your  child  and  all  the  chil- 
dren ;  she  played  with  them,  she  walked  with 
them,  she " 

"  Stop,  stop  !  talk  about  other  things  !  I  must  go 
and  drink  my  palm-wine  and  forget  the  thoughts." 


358  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

The  old  man  was  tottering  on  the  edge  of  the 
grave,  and  obhviousness  was  his  only  peace. 

On  returning  to  Benita,  numerous  unobtrusive 
visits  were  received  from  the  principal  men.  King 
Mango,  an  old  gray-headed  heathen,  who  lived  two 
miles  away,  and  who  had  made  his  ceremonious 
visit  only  ten  days  before,  came  and  spoke  thus, 
literally  translated : 

"  I  have  not  been  to  see  you  for  a  long  time. 
To-day  I  had  business  at  a  village  on  the  way; 
and,  when  it  was  done,  I  said,  '  No,  I  will  not  go 
back ;  I  will  go  and  see  him.'  God  took  away  my 
child,  and  I  buried  it,  as  you  did  yours,  near  the 
house,  at  the  end  of  the  garden.  And  I  said,  '  I 
will  tear  down  my  village  and  remove  to  another 
place.'  But  all  the  people  came  to  me  in  mass, 
and  advised  me,  and  told  me  not  to  do  so, — that 
God  could  lay  his  hand  on  me  at  any  other  place. 
And  so  I  said,  '  Let  it  pass, — I  sit  down.'  And  I 
come  to  you  to-day,  hearing  that  he  had  said  he 
would  go  away  from  this  country ;  and  all  your 
other  friends  will  come  to  see  you  and  to  talk  to 
you,  each  at  his  own  proper  time,  saying,  '  Let  it 
pass.'  Remain  as  you  are ;  what  has  happened  to 
you  happens  to  all ;  attend  to  your  usual  work, 
and  after  awhile  you  will  forget  your  pain  and 
affliction." 

I  objected  to  his  last  verb. 


CAIRN- STONES.  359 

"  Not  even  after  five  years  ?" 

"Affliction  can  be  relieved,  but  not  by  forget- 
ting." 

I  do  not  think  he  fully  understood.  Poor  old 
man !  Forgetting  loved  ones  was  the  best  relief 
his  heathenism  could  afford  for  their  absence.  But 
he  meant  kindly.  He  was  the  only  heathen  who 
had  attempted  direct  comfort. 

^  THE    COMING    OF    MR.  GILLESPIE. 

Rev.  A.  Bushnell,  on  furlough  in  America,  was 
at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  addressing  the  students  of  the 
theological  seminary,  in  December,  1870,  appeal- 
ing for  recruits  for  the  Corisco  Mission,  and  point- 
ing that  appeal  by  stating  that  the  number  in  the 
field  was  reduced  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Nas- 
sau. He  had  not  yet  heard  that  the  number  was 
still  less.  A  student  in  the  audience  had  just  seen 
the  announcement  in  the  Presbyterian  of  December 
17,  and  handed  up  the  paper  to  Rev.  Dr.  Charles 
Hodge,  who  was  presiding.  At  the  close  of  the 
address,  with  voice  scarcely  controlled,  and  with 
all  the  sympathy  of  his  great  heart  aroused,  he 
read: 

"Died,  September  10,  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Nassau, 
wife  of  Rev.  R.  H.  Nassau,  M.D.,  of  the  Corisco 
Mission,  West  Africa.  With  this  mission  she  has 
been  connected  for  ten  years,  during  which  time 
she  once  visited  America.     For  her  chosen  work 


360  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

she  was  admirably  adapted  both  by  nature  and  by 
grace,  always  calm  in  danger,  patient  in  tribulation, 
generous  in  giving,  correct  in  judgment,  full  of 
faith,  and  abounding  in  good  works.  How  much 
the  sable  converts  from  heathen  darkness  and  su- 
perstition felt  their  loss  was  seen  as  they  sur- 
rounded her  corpse  and  'wept  for  themselves.' 
Last  spring  her  failing  health  led  her  husband  to 
arrange  for  her  return  by  an  opportunity  offering 
in  July.  But  when  the  time  arrived,  feeling  better, 
she  declined  to  leave,  and  it  was  concluded  to  wait 
for  expected  reinforcements  to  the  mission.  But 
August  31  she  was  attacked  with  the  chill  by  which 
African  fever  is  preceded.  The  medical  means 
employed  broke  the  disease,  and  it  was  hoped  that 
with  a  change  of  climate  she  would  recover.  Dr. 
Nassau  set  sail  with  her  for  England ;  but  on  the 
following  day  unfavorable  symptoms  supervened, 
her  exhausted  frame  sank  as  in  peaceful  slumber, 
and  her  spirit  rose  to  Jesus  from  the  Atlantic  wave 
to  receive  a  martyr's  crown.  Her  precious  re- 
mains were  interred  at  Benita,  in  the  ground 
which  three  years  before  was  first  consecrated  as  a 
cemetery  by  the  burial  of  her  beloved  child." 

The  meeting  was  dismissed ;  some  left  in  tears. 
Some  went  away  to  think  and  pray.  The  next 
morning  a  visitor  was  announced  at  the  mission- 
ary's door,  and  said,  "  I  heard  your  address  and 
that  obituary  notice  yesterday.     I  was  going  as  a 


CAIRN-STONES.  361 

foreign  missionary,  and  I  decide  to  go  to  Africa  to 
help  Dr.  Nassau." 

It  was  Samuel  L.  Gillespie.  He  had  heard  the 
voice  that  came  from  my  wife's  grave,  and  was 
literally  standing  for  the  dead.  After  having 
served  his  country  against  the  rebellion  as  captain 
of  a  company  in  an  Ohio  regiment  of  cavalry,  and 
passing  unscathed  through  more  than  fifty  battles, 
he  bravely  flung  himself  into  the  breach,  at  the 
very  front  of  the  strife  for  the  Master's  kingdom, 
and  in  a  position  of  danger  from  which  others 
shrank. 

THE    PURCHASE    OF   THE    ELFE. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Mission,  open,  row, 
and  sail  boats, — the  size  of  ship's  gigs  and  surf 
boats, — had  been  the  only  mode  of  communication 
between  distant  points.  In  such  an  one  died  Mrs. 
Nassau.  When  the  story  reached  New  York  the 
enlarged  liberality  of  some  friends  of  Missions 
was  shocked,  and  they  said  to  Messrs.  Bushnell 
and  De  Heer, — 

"  Never  let  that  happen  again." 

"  It  would  not  have  happened  if,  at  our  wishes, 
better  transport  had  been  granted  earlier." 

"  Is  there  no  vessel  you  can  purchase  in  the 
Gaboon  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  a  large  schooner." 

"  Buy  it  at  any  cost." 


362  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

"  It  is  too  large  for  our  service." 

"  Then  buy  some  yacht  in  England  on  your  way 
back  to  Africa." 

Mr.  Gillespie  spent  two  months  in  traveling  and 
making  addresses,  and  in  collecting  funds  from 
the  Sabbath-schools  for  the  memorial  "  little  ship" 
which  was  "to  wait  on"  Jesus  in  the  persons  of 
His  missionary  servants. 

In  passing  through  Great  Britain,  the  brethren 
visited  the  Clyde,  but  on  a  hasty  survey,  found 
nothing  to  suit,  and  passed  on  to  Africa,  hoping  to 
find  something  on  the  way. 

They  arrived  at  Gaboon  June  1 1,  1871.  At  that 
very  time  was  in  the  river,  lying  at  anchor  and  for 
sale,  a  yacht  of  forty  tons  burden,  sloop-rigged, 
that  had  been  built  of  best  materials,  and  hand- 
somely equipped  by  a  German  merchant  in  Ham- 
burgh for  the  use  of  himself  and  family.  The 
demands  of  wealth  requiring  something  new,  he 
had  condemned  it  to  the  rude  service  of  his  West 
African  trade-houses.  In  her  hold  were  then  lying 
billets  of  ebony  and  dye-wood,  casks  of  caout- 
chouc, and  tusks  of  ivory,  and  palm-kernels.  The 
very  spaciousness  of  the  cabin  unfitting  her  for 
large  freights, — the  cause  of  her  exposure  for  sale 
by  the  trade-agent, — specially  commended  her  to 
the  Mission;    and  in  five  days  she  was  ours  for 

We  retained  her  appropriate  German  name, — 


1  PI 


CAIRN-STONES.  363 

the  "  Elfe."  Good  fairy  never  helped  distressed 
children  more  opportunely.  God  could  have  given 
us  no  white-winged  angel  more  precious.  Had 
she  but  come  only  a  year  before  ! 

One  month  she  still  had  to  fulfill  a  contract  in 
trade.  Another  month  in  refitting.  And  in  Au- 
gust she  made  her  first  missionary  trip.  It  was  to 
Benita, — with  a  new  missionary  company.  The 
captain,  unacquainted  with  the  river  channel,  an- 
chored outside  the  bar,  three  miles  from  the  Mbade 
dwelling,  and  the  missionaries  landed  in  a  boat 
sent  off  for  them.  Immediately  afterward,  when  I 
went  off  in  a  canoe  to  the  yacht,  the  captain  tem- 
porarily resigned  the  command,  while  with  two 
native  pilots,  my  church-members,  we  brought 
her,  with  strongly-flowing  tide,  and  stiff  sea-breeze 
astern,  across  the  bar,  and  up  the  channel  opposite 
Mbade.  She  was  drawing  seven  feet.  The  short- 
est throw  of  the  lead  marked  eleven  feet.  The 
surf  was  slight;  and  she  seemed,  as  a  thing  of 
life,  to  join  our  exultation,  as  she  sped  across  the 
bar  into  deeper  water  in  the  river's  quiet  anchorage. 

A  proud  half-hour  of  command,  to  give  the  little 
vessel  its  first  introduction  to  the  eager,  excited 
crowd  of  natives  that  lined  the  shores,  and  that 
especially  surrounded  the  new  missionaries  at  the 
landing-place.  But  a  sad  half-hour  for  memory. 
The  opulence  of  that  present  time  contrasted  bit- 
terly with  the  wants  of  the  year  past.     That  com- 


364  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

fortable  little  vessel,  safe  in  storm,  protective 
against  noon's  fierce  rays;  the  fresh  and  hopeful 
reinforcement,  whose  hands  and  hearts  in  strength 
and  numbers  would  supplant  weakness  and  isola- 
tion ;  the  deck  I  trod  in  brief  captaincy  covered 
hundreds  of  dollars'  worth  of  goods,  provisions, 
and  delicacies,  long-before  ordered,  strangely  de- 
layed, just  then  freshly  arrived ;  in  the  hold,  the 
monument-stones  for  my  wife's  grave.  Had  this 
vessel,  or  these  supplies,  or  that  reinforcement  been 
sent  a  year  sooner,  infancy  and  sickness  would  not 
have  been  rationed,  and  those  stones  need  not 
have  been  carved. 

Within  two  years  of  that  day  the  "  Elfe"  has 
ended  its  own  most  useful  life,  and  lies  a  wreck  on 
the  waters  of  the  bay  whence  passed  away  her 
spirit  to  whose  memory  the  yacht  was  a  contribu- 
tion and  from  whose  grave  it  seemed  to  spring. 

THE    HINDOO    GIRL    AT    DEHR.\    BOON. 

A  communication  dated  May/,  1870,  from  Miss 
Agnes  C.  Ralston,  Oakland  Female  Institute,  came 
to  Benita,  inviting  Mrs.  Nassau,  as  an  alumna,  to 
attend  the  First  Reunion  of  its  Alumnae  Associa- 
tion on  June  28,  1870.  When  it  arrived  Mrs. 
Nassau  was  already  in  Heaven.  I  replied  to  the 
invitation  with  a  letter  of  thanks  and  a  few  lines  to 
the  missionary  prayer-meeting  of  the  Institute.  In 
response  came  a  letter  in  1871,  asking  me  to  nomi- 


CAIRN-STONES.  365 

nate  some  child  in  Africa,  or  to  choose  any  other 
heathen  country  in  which  the  Institute  Missionary 
Society  might  nominate  some  child,  for  whose 
education  they  would  provide,  and  who  should 
bear,  as  a  memorial,  Mrs.  Nassau's  name. 

I  suggested  either  Rev.  J.  M.  W.  Farnham's 
school,  in  China,  or  the  school  at  Dehra  Doon, 
India,  and  that  the  name  be  Mary  Latta. 

Since  arriving  in  America,  has  been  handed  me 
an  extract  from  a  notice  in  a  Norristown  (Pa.) 
paper,  of  the  Alumnse  Association  Reunion  Meet- 
ing in  June,  1872  :  "The  exercises  of  the  morning 
were  closed  by  the  reading  of  an  interesting  letter 
from  Miss  Margaret  A.  Craig,  missionary  to  India, 
addressed  to  the  young  ladies  of  Oakland,  relating 
to  a  Hindoo  girl  who  is  being  educated  by  them 
in  the  Mission-school  at  Dehra  Doon.  She  has 
been  named  Mary  Latta,  in  honor  of  a  graduate  of 
Oakland  who  laid  down  her  life  in  the  cause  of 
missions  in  Western  Africa." 

The  girl's  name  is  Karo.  Her  teacher,  Miss 
Craig,  was  an  early  acquaintance  and  a  school- 
mate of  Mrs,  Nassau. 

Karo  had  been  previously  in  the  Lodiana  Or- 
phanage, but  in  March,  1872,  was  transferred  to 
Dehra.  She  is  described  as  "  a  very  nice  child, 
about  fifteen  years  old,  rather  good-looking,  of 
light  complexion,  with  dark  eyes  and  black  hair ; 
in  her  studies,  rather  smart,"  and  willing,  even 


366 


CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 


anxious  for  the  reception  of  the  English  name. 
Like  her  name-bearer,  she  was  an  entire  orphan, 
and  had  only  an  elder  brother,  a  soldier  in  the 
British  East  India  army.  She  had  recently  be- 
come a  Christian,  and  was  soon  to  be  married. 

MRS.  Thomson's  wish. 

On  my  way  to  America,  there  was  a  day  in 
Liverpool,  England,  January  i6,  1872,  when  a 
small,  social,  Christian  company  was  gathered  at 
99  Grove  Street,  and  I  remember  how  one  of  that 
company,  Mrs.  Dr.  William  Cooper  Thomson, 
spoke  her  interest  in  the  memory  of  Mrs.  Nassau. 
Then  turning  to  me,  she  said,  "  I  wish  you  would 
write  her  life  in  memoir  ?"  She  startled  me  as  if 
she  had  read  thought.  For  it  had  been  a  daily 
thought  held  in  utter  silence  since  that  earthly  life 
had  faded  away.  But  an  audacious  thought.  Could 
any  one  describe  that  life  aright  ?  Would  not  a 
husband  be  misjudged  in  the  attempt? 

Still,  Mrs.  Thomson's  wish  was  the  same,  and 
was  the  last  word  she  uttered  as  we  parted  on  the 
steamer  "  City  of  New  York"  two  days  afterwards, 
to  cross  the  Atlantic. 

I  promised.  And  I  said  to  myself  "To  this 
friend,  whose  lips  have  thus  first  given  fern  to  my 
modest  thoughts,  shall  be  the  acknowledgment 
of  whatever  thanks  may  be  due  in  the  realization 
of  a  wish  no  less  mine  than  hers." 


CAIRN-STONES.  367 

She  is  herself  in  Heaven ;  she  passed  thither 
from  Glasgow,  on  November  28,  1872.  I  cannot 
thank  her  now. 

A    COMMUNION    SET. 

Shortly  after  arriving  in  America,  on  the  2d  of 
February,  1872,  I  saw  in  the  Presbyterian  of  Feb- 
ruary 17,  the  following: 

"  WHO    WANTS    A    COMMUNION    SERVICE  ? 

"  The  Session  of  the  Fairview  Presbyterian 
Church  have  resolved  to  present  to  some  needy 
organization  in  our  connection  our  old  commu- 
nion service.  We  are  enabled  to  do  this  through 
the  kindness  and  liberality  of  Misses  Clara  A.  and 
Maggie  V.  McClure,  who  have  presented  to  the 
church  a  very  handsome  and  modern  set.  Any 
church  in  need  of  such  a  service  is  requested  to 
correspond  with  Ihe  Rev.  A.  Nelson  Hollifield, 
Norwood,  Chester  County,  Pa." 

And  I  responded : 

"/want  it  for  my  church  at  Benita,  West  Africa, 
of  the  Presbytery  of  Corisco,  Gaboon  and  Corisco 
Mission. 

"  I  arrived  in  this  country  less  than  three  weeks 
ago,  compelled  to  seek  strength  and  life  here,  after 
more  than  ten  years  of  uninterrupted  service  in 
Africa. 


3CS  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

"  Our  present  communion  service  is  an  ordinary 
glass  tumbler  and  iron-stone  china  plate  and 
pitcher.  I  do  not  want  anything  very  fine,  for  it 
would  be  inconsistent  with  our  surroundings.  But 
I  told  my  brethren  when  I  left  that  I  would  ask 
some  church  here  that  might  be  getting  a  new  set 
to  give  us  their  old  one. 

"  I  have  not  been  among  the  churches  yet,  of 
course ;  and  so  have  not  preferred  my  request. 
Your  offer  I  take  as  providential. 

"But  I  CLAIM  the  service.  '  Norwood,  Chester 
Co.'  My  angel  wife,  Mary  Cloyd  Latta — a  rarely 
noble  woman — has  made  the  name  of  Chester  Co. 
very  dear  to  me.  And  you,  of  course,  are  familiar 
with  the  name  of  her  grandfather,  Rev.  William 
Latta,  D.D. 

"  Please  do  not  give  that  service  away,  even  if 
you  already  promised  it,  if  you  can  with  any  pro- 
priety retract.  I  want  to  gather  about  her  memory, 
and  about  the  spot  where  she  lies,  anything  tha" 
was  connected  with  any  place  or  region  where  she 
has  lived."  .  ,  . 

My  application  was  one  of  twenty-three ;  but  it 
being  the  first,  and  the  circumstances  being  so 
interesting,  the  service  of  pitcher,  two  goblets,  and 
two  plates  was  awarded  me.  Afterward,  in  the 
month  of  August,  on  a  visit  to  the  Fairview  churchy 
Mr.  HoUificld  made  an  affecting  presentation  ;  and 


CAIRN-STONES.  369 

J.  M.  M'Clure,  M.D.,  replated  the  pieces,  and  en- 
graved the  following  inscription  on  the  pitcher  : 

To 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of 

Benita,  West  Africa, 

From 

The  Fairview  Presbyterian  Church 

of  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania, 

U.  S.  A. 

A  Testimonial  to  the  Memory 

of  Mrs.  Mary  Cloyd  (Latta)  Nassau. 

And  the  gift  is  already  in  use  at  Benita, 

THE   MRS.   NASSAU   SOCIETY. 

Among  the  Treasurer's  acknowledgments  in 
Woman's  Work  for  Woman,  in  the  spring  of  1872 
there  was  a  certain  sum  contributed  by  the  "  Mrs, 
Nassau  Missionary  Circle  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Female  College." 

Who  had  given  that  name?  That  she  was 
known  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  I  was 
aware.  That  she  was  loved  was  a  synonym  with 
her  being  known.  That  her  memory  should  be 
honored  was  no  surprise.  But  I  wanted  to  know 
the  circumstances  and  the  special  friend  who  had 
erected  this  monument  for  her,  I  wrote  to  the 
Rev,  James  Black,  D,D.,  President  of  the  College. 
But,  before  reply  could  come,  was  myself  on  a 

32 


370  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

pilgrimage  of  respectful  duty  to  the  parents  of  my 
beloved  friend  George  Paull,  in  Fayette  Co.,  Pa. ; 
and,  being  detained  in  Pittsburg,  visited  the  Female 
College  in  East  Liberty,  and  was  there  told  the 
story  of  the  organization  of  a  missionary  society 
among  the  pupils  of  the  institution,  and  how,  when 
a  name  was  being  adopted,  George's  aunt,  Mrs. 
Black,  remembering  his  and  my  wife's  association 
and  friendship  in  life,  and  their  now  sainted  com- 
munion in  Heaven,  suggested  hers. 

HER  boys'  homes. 

Mrs.  Nassau's  untroubled  self-assurance  on  her 
dying  bed,  that  her  two  boys  would  be  "  well  cared 
for,"  was  already  fulfilled  for  the  elder  in  his 
paternal  grandparents'  home,  Lawrenceville,  N.  J., 
under  the  devoted  love  and  untiring  care  of  an 
aunt.  To  the  younger,  though  several  doors  stood 
open  with  tender  welcomes  among  his  relatives,  a 
touching  series  of  providences  led  him,  without 
human  seeking,  past  those  doors  to  a  friend's 
empty  home  in  Philadelphia,  to  give  the  joy  of 
babyhood  to  an  unsatisfied  mother-love  that  had 
turned  to  him  in  Africa  just  when  he  was  orphaned 
two  years  before,  and  to  receive — as  far  as  any 
human  being  could  possibly  compensate  the  loss 
— protection  from  the  shadow  of  the  loss  of  the 
love  he  could  never  remember. 


CAIRN-STONES. 


THE    PORTRAIT. 


371 


A  photographic  hkeness  of  Mrs.  Nassau,  in  the 
hands  of  her  brother-in-law,  Rev.  J.  E.  Nassau, 
D.D.,  of  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  happened  casually  to 
come  under  the  eye  of  a  lady-artist,  Miss  Slade, 
of  that  place.  The  artist's  eye  was  at  once  attracted 
and  permission  asked  to  paint  the  face.  The  pho- 
tograph was  an  imperfect  one,  but  with  the  aid  of 
a  lock  of  hair  and  the  picture  of  character  as  pre- 
sented in  an  obituary  sketch,  Miss  Slade  made  a 
correct  portrait. 

She  said  that  the  expression  of  no  features  she 
had  ever  painted  had  so  struck  her,  or  had  so 
grown  on  her  at  her  easel.  Though  an  utter 
stranger,  she  had  taken  up  the  work,  attracted  by 
the  magnetism  of  a  face,  had  continued  it  under 
her  interest  in  the  story  of  a  heroic  life,  and  com- 
pleted it  as  an  expression  of  her  admiration  of  a 
character,  and  of  her  sympathy  with  missions.  Of 
this  portrait  one  of  Mrs.  Nassau's  most  intimate 
comparfions  said,  "  It  is  Mary's  face  in  repose ;  but 
not  her  radiant,  happy  expression,  which  no  artist 
could  catch,  but  which  her  friends  all  remember 
with  so  much  pleasure." 

THE    BENGA    HYMN-BOOK. 

A  collection  of  eighty-three  hymns,  translated 
in  the  native  language,  mostly  by  Rev.  Messrs. 


3/2  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

Clemens  and  Clark  and  Mrs.  Nassau,  was  printed 
by  her  in  1864,  bound  with  the  "  Benga  Primer,"  a 
primary  spelling-  and  reading-book  compiled  by 
herself  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Mackey  and  Clark. 

After  that  date,  she  and  Mr.  Clark  and  his  native 
interpreter  continued  to  translate  and  compose 
hymns,  and  she  corresponded  with  Mr.  C.  in  re- 
vising them  after  his  return  to  America  in  1868. 

The  result  of  all  this  work  appears  in  a  hand- 
some little  volume  of  "  Benga  Hymns,"  issued 
October,  1873,  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 
Of  the  two  hundred  hymns  in  that  collection,  one- 
fourth  are  by  Mrs.  Nassau.  Her  interest  in  a 
native  hymnology  had  commenced  the  work  of 
collection  in  1862,  her  zeal  had  incited  others  to 
assist, — command  of  the  language  and  correct 
taste  (in  spite  of  inability  to  sing)  fitted  her  for  a 
work  which  was  to  her  as  much  a  recreation  as  a 
task, — and  this  energy  in  supplying  the  want  of  a 
hymn-book  did  not  fail  even  to  the  last  year  of  her 
life. 

The  "  Hymns"  are  a  monument  to  her.'  They 
are  sung  in  the  mountain  regions  where  she  had 
hoped  to  live  and  labor,  and  will  have  their  effect 
on  native  Christian  life  after  the  individuality  of 
her  and  others'  works  has  been  lost  in  native 
memory.  And  the  subjects  selected  for  trans- 
lation are  a  revelation  of  the  workings  of  her  re- 
ligious thought.  All  those  fifty  hymns  are  confined 


CYPRESS  LEAVES. 


373 


to  "  Hymns  of  Church  Work,"  and  "  Hymns  of 
Christian  Experience." 

" but  remember  only 


Such  as  these  have  lived  and  died." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

CYPRESS    LEAVES. 

"  Sad  cypress,  vervain,  yew,  compose  the  wreath." 
"  A  crown  for  the  brow  of  the  early  dead." 

Flowers  of  affection,  no  less  beautiful  and  more 
lasting  than  the  ephemeral  blossoms  of  the  furred 
Nyinve-nyinve,  of  the  yellow  Uhange,  or  of  the 
Ilanda  with  its  green  and  purple  leaves,  that  soon 
covered  the  white  sand  above  her,  came  Sy  every 
mail  to  lay  their  tribute  on  her  grave.  From  rela- 
tives, from  connections,  from  fellow-missionaries, 
all  who,  having  so  well  known,  had  loved;  from 
traders  on  the  coast,  who  could  not  fail  to  honor 
one  whom  they  respected,  though  her  life  was  so 
constant  a  protest  to  their  own;  from  native  friends, 
and  from  strangers  who  had  watched  her  ten  years' 
work,  or  had  heard  of  her  lonely  death. 

From  those  many  flowers,  these  few  petals  are 
here  gathered. 

32* 


374 


CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 


FROM    REV.  WILLIAM    WALKER. 


Gaboon,  Oct.  17,  1870. 

Yours,  of  Sept.  15th,  was  received  Oct.  8th,  just 
four  weeks  after  your  dear  one  had  fallen  asleep, 
I  thank  you  for  writing  that  first  sentence,  "  My 
dear  wife  is  dead."  Your  letter  would  have  been 
just  one  prolonged  agony,  but  for  that.  But  my 
heart  sinks  when  I  think  of  those  two  weeks  of 
alternate  hope  and  fear,  of  agony  for  pains  you 
could  not  alleviate.  But  I  will  not  dwell  on  the 
terrible  scene.  .  .  .  The  sympathises  of  the  blessed 
Saviour  and  the  healing  hand  of  time  will  cure  a 
part  of  these  sorrows  of  earth.  .  .  . 

Mrs.  Reutlinger  had  been  trembling  a  long  time. 
The  boys  came  in  with  the  package  about  ten  at 
night.  Mrs.  R,  came  across,  and  asked  the  news. 
I  showed  her  the  black  border.  She  groaned 
deeply.  Soon  she  asked,  "What  is  it?"  I  showed 
her.  the  first  line  of  your  letter,  for  I  could  not 
speak.  She  fell  on  her  knees  and  wept  and  cried 
and  prayed.  Mrs.  Walker  was  in  bed.  I  would 
have  waited  till  morning,  but  she  had  heard  part. 
We  did  not  sleep  much  that  night.  But  I  cannot 
go  over  these  scenes.  You  know  how  we  loved 
her.  .  .  . 


CYPRESS  LEAVES. 


375 


FROM    MRS.  REV.  WILLIAM    WALKER. 

Baraka,  Oct.  13,  1870. 

.  .  .  Some  of  us  had  retired  when  the  notes 
came,  and  all  through  that  night's  watches  Mrs. 
Nassau's  beautiful  character  was  before  me.  So 
amiable,  so  gentle,  so  ?/«selfish  ! 

She  was  the  truest,  sweetest  wife  any  man  was 
ever  blessed  with.  And  what  a  patient,  careful, 
judicious  mother  she  was.  And,  oh,  so  loving  and 
sympathizing  as  a  friend !  She  stayed  with  you 
to  help  relieve  your  life  of  care  and  perplexities, 
when,  perhaps,  she  ought  to  have  gone  to  a 
healthier  climate.  You  regret  now,  perhaps,  that 
you  did  not  insist  or  urge  her  more  to  go ;  but 
how  could  she  go  ?  And  it  was  so  much  easier  to 
decide  to  remain  than  to  go.  .  .  .  Oh,  that  sad, 
touching  scene !  We  think  of  it  continually  with 
mournful  interest,  and  seem  to  see  our  sweet  friend 
lying  there  in  that  boat,  on  that  very  spot,  in  the 
sleep  of  death.  I  seemed  to  be  with  you  at  that  very 
place,  beholding  the  mournful  company  and  the 
peaceful  dead,  when  the  beautiful  hymn  was  sung 
last  Sabbath  in  church,  "  How  blest  the  righteous 
when  he  dies." 

Mrs.  Nassau's  rare  excellencies  of  disposition 
and  character  will  always  be  a  precious  memory 
to  us,  to  all  who  knew  her.  How  generous  she 
was,  always  ready  to  give  away  the  prettiest  and 


376  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

the  best.    And  what  a  tender  heart  of  pity  she  had 
for  the  weary,  the  sick,  and  the  sorrowful. 

Little  children  were  specially  noticed  by  her. 
And  how  skillful  and  judicious  she  was  in  pre- 
paring medicine  for  suffering  infants,  and  how 
tenderly  she  would  take  them  in  her  arms  and 
nurse  them,  never  giving  a  thought  whether  they 
were  clean  or  not.  We  are  afraid  your  dear  little 
boy  will  fret  for  his  dear  mother.  .  .  . 

FROM    MRS.    LOUISE    REUTLINGER. 

Baraka,  October,  1S70.  , 

.  .  .  My  heart  deeply  feels  the  loss,  for  she  was 
mother,  sister,  and  friend  to  me.  Great  was  the 
gift  in  her.  But  our  Heavenly  Father  knows  what 
is  best  for  His  children.  It  is  a  link  more  to 
Heaven.  ...  If  there  is  anything  I  could  do  for 
dear  little  Charley,  please,  you  will  let  me  know.  .  .  . 

F7-oin  the  '^Foreign  Missionai-y  of  January,  1871. 

MRS,  MARY  C.  NASSAU. 

"  She  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth."  "  For  so  He 
giveth  His  beloved  sleep."  These  words  of  sacred 
writ  came  clearly  and  forcibly  to  my  mind,  after 
the  first  stunning  shock  we  experienced  on  hearing 
of  the  death  of  our  beloved  sister,  Mrs.  Nassau. 

"  Death  loves  a  shining  mark;"  and  how  is  this 
illustrated  in  the  case  before  us !     Our  loveliest, 


CYPRESS  LEAVES. 


1>77 


our  best,  and  most  devoted  sister  has  been  taken. 
We  can  say  of  her,  as  of  but  few,  she  had  not  an 
enemy ;  but,  oh,  how  many  friends  !  Says  one,  "  I 
never  so  felt  the  death  of  a  comparative  stranger 
before."  And,  indeed,  no  one  felt  her  long  to  be 
a  stranger.  I  can  see  the  tears  spring  to  the  eyes 
of  the  dark-browed  sons  and  daughters  of  Ethi- 
opia, for  whom  she  lived  and  died,  as  they  repeat, 
in  subdued  tones,  "Mama  N'assd  a  zvcjidi"  (Our 
mother  is  dead).  And  well  they  may  feel  it,  for 
they  are  orphans,  indeed. 

Years  ago  she  turned  away  from  all  the  allure- 
ments of  home,  friends,  position,  and  influence,  and, 
at  her  Saviour's  bidding,  turned  her  glad  and  eager 
footsteps  to  the  darkest  of  all  lands, — and  there  she 
lived,  loved,  labored,  and  died;  and  from  thence  she 
went  to  her  reward.  Ere  this  she  has  cast  her  bright 
crown  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  with  many  jewels.  She 
heard  the  voice  and  followed  the  footsteps  of  the 
Good  Shepherd,  though  the  path  lay  through 
much  trial  and  self-sacrifice;  but,  when  the  way 
became  too  rugged,  and  her  strength  exhausted, 
He  has  taken  her  to  His  bosom. 

Oh,  that  we  were  all  thus  "  meet  for  the  inherit- 
ance of  the  saints  in  light !"  And  how  shall  we 
become  so  ?  By  following  the  noble  example 
she  has  left,  and  which  can  never  be  forgotten  by 
those  who  knew  her.  Let  this  Mary,  like  Mary  of 
Bethany,  be  a  leading  star  to  guide  wise  women 


378  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

to  Christ,  —  to  teach  them,  not  like  the  pensive 
recluse,  to  live  only  in  and  for  themselves,  but  to 
go  forth,  as  did  she,  to  bless  the  perishing  and 
unpitied  of  earth, — to  give  to  the  Saviour,  as  did 
she,  the  dew  of  her  youth ;  and  God  will  accept 
the  sacrifice. 

God  has  taken  her  from  us,  and  we  can  only  say, 
as  she  was  wont  to,  under  circumstances  of  trial, 
"  He  doeth  all  things  well." 

"  Go,  gentle  spirit,  to  thy  wished-for  rest ; 
Thy  work  was  done ;  thy  Saviour's  will  obeyed ; 
His  presence  was  with  thee  in  every  scene 
Of  duty  and  of  trial,  and  when  He 
Saw  fit  that  thou  should'st  leave  thy  toils  and  come 
To  Him,  'twas  best,  'twas  infinitely  best 
To  change  the  dimmer  sphere  of  earth  for  Heaven." 

FROM    MRS.  ISABELLA   S.    MACKEY. 

New  London,  Pa., 
January  24,  1 87 1. 

...  I  could  weep  with  you  more  easily  than  try 
to  comfort  you.  What  a  host  of  memories  crowd 
upon  me  when  I  think  of  Evangasimba,  and  the 
dear  ones  with  whom  we  had  such  companionship 
there !  But  they  are  gone,  to  occupy  a  higher 
station.  What  a  happy  company  they  must  make 
in  Heaven ! — your  sainted  wife,  and  my  dear,  de- 
parted husband,  and  Mr.  Paull,  and  Mr.  Ogden, 
and  all  the  others  who  have  labored  and  loved  in 
that  far-off  land.     How  happy  they  will  be ! 


CYPRESS  LEAVES. 


379 


It  is  comforting  that  any  of  the  natives  are 
qualified  to  fill  stations  left  vacant.  .  .  . 

FROM    REV.    VV.    H.    CLARK. 

PoNCA,  Dixon  Co.,  Nebraska, 
Jan.  25,  1 87 1. 

...  It  cast  a  heavy  gloom  upon  us,  and  vividly 
recalled  the  years  of  unbroken  friendship  and  sweet 
intercourse  with  her  that  we  enjoyed.  Though 
Heaven  is  the  richer  for  her  transfer,  earth,  and 
especially  poor  Africa,  is  sadly  poorer.  .  .  .  Our 
hearts  go  out  in  sympathy  with  you  and  your  sis- 
ter, left  so  alone,  and  with  so  much  resting  on  you. 
How  you  must  miss  her  cheerful  smile,  her  words 
of  encouragement  in  hours  of  darkness.  She  knew 
how  to  cast  her  burdens  upon  the  Lord,  and  her 
cheerfulness  had  a  real  and  proper  basis.  Her  faith 
was  not  misplaced,  for  Africa  shall  be  redeemed ; 
and  her  example  and  influence  will,  I  feel  assured, 
play  no  mean  part  in  the  great  work.  You,  dear 
brother,  especially,  and  we  all,  have  been  highly 
privileged  in  being  allowed  communion  so  long 
with  such  a  lovely  spirit,  such  a  great  and  noble 
heart,  so  full  of  charity,  or  rather  so  full  of  "  the 
mind  of  Jesus."  .  .  . 

OBITUARY. 

The  following  outlines  are  extracted  from  a 
sketch  of  Mrs.  Nassau's  life  and  character,  in  the 
Presbyterian  oi^Qhrxidixy  11,  1871. 


38o  CROWNED  IN  PALM- LAND. 

Gifted  with  a  quick  and  comprehensive  intelli- 
gence, she  had  improved  it  well  by  study.  At  the 
Academy,  as  a  child,  her  spelling  was  perfect. 
Her  letters  and  other  writings,  written  with  flow- 
ing pen,  and  without  laborious  reference  to  a  dic- 
tionary, are  marred  by  few  inaccuracies.  Geometry 
was  play ;  languages  recreation.  With  only  an 
imperfect  grammar,  and  slight  occasional  assist- 
ance from  a  native  interpreter  and  others,  she 
rapidly  acquired  the  Benga  by  chatting  with  her 
little  pupils,  learning  to  speak  almost  as  fast  as 
she  did  to  read.  One-third  of  the  first  edition  of 
the  Benga  Hymns  is  her  translation  or  original 
composition ;  and  it  was  principally  her  zeal  that 
incited  others  to  the  addition  of  the  other  hymns 
of  the  second  edition.  The  selection  and  com- 
pilation of  the  spelling-  and  small  reading-lessons 
of  the  Benga  Primer  are  almost  entirely  her  un- 
aided work.  She  even  began  the  study  of  He- 
brew, that  a  contemplated  translation  of  Ruth  and 
Jonah  might  conform  to  the  rule  of  the  Bible 
Society,  requiring  a  translator  to  read  from  the 
original.  This  she  did  at  Benita  as  a  recreation, 
at  irregular  times,  when  wearied  by  other  work. 
With  Tregelles  and  Gesenius  in  her  hand  she  be- 
came able  to  read  fairly. 

Teaching  never  was  a  tedious  work,  nor  did  she 
do  any  duty  as  if  it  was  a  labor.  Everything  was 
entered  on  in  a  spirit  of  light-heartedness.     The 


CYPRESS  LEA  VES.  3 8 1 

ease  with  which  her  own  mind  grasped  any  study, 
and  her  love  for  youth,  made  her  choose  a 
teacher's  Hfe  at  Trenton,  and  afterward  at  Chest- 
nut HilL  At  the  latter  place  she  was  particularly 
successful ;  the  school,  without  the  necessary  re- 
strictions of  boarding,  suited  her  freedom  of  man- 
ner, and  it  being  her  own  little  dominion,  she 
governed  readily  by  love.  Freshness  of  heart,  in- 
terest in  childhood,  vivid  presentations  of  truth, 
made  her  apt  to  "  teach."  At  the  Corisco  Girls' 
School  her  pupils  never  were  "  glad  to  get  away 
from  teacher,"  but  on  the  playground,  in  the 
house,  and  even  pursuing  her  to  her  own  room, 
and  breaking  needed  rest  and  privacy,  they  clung 
to  her  lively  descriptions  of  other  lands,  and  Bible 
scenes  and  history.  At  Benita,  in  the  confusion 
of  a  first  settlement,  before  there  was  time  to 
establish  a  day-school,  and  where  there  were  but 
two  completed  rooms,  the  evening  was  taken  up 
by  teaching  the  alphabet  and  spelling.  Scores  of 
young  men  in  church  and  trade  owe  their  reading 
to  her. 

She  seemed  to  move  in  an  atmosphere  whose 
magnetism  drew  all  classes,  especially  of  children 
and  women.  None  were  afraid  of  her;  all  were 
at  once  at  ease  in  her  presence.  An  affectionate 
heart,  that  had  been  early  deprived  of  the  love 
of  parents  and  brothers,  and  had  never  known 
a  sister's,  took  in  its  warm  embrace  all  who  were 

33 


382  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

thrown  into  her  sphere.  Pupils,  husband,  children 
— the  poor,  the  afflicted,  the  oppressed,  all  rested 
in  a  love  that  was  not  demonstrative  or  violent, 
but  sunshiny,  deep,  constant. 

With  this  gentle  tone  and  manner,  there  were 
not  wanting  firmness  and  decision.  Having  had 
only  brothers  for  home  playmates  gave  her  fear- 
lessness; bereft  of  parents,  she  had  learned,  in 
thought  and  action,  independence.  These  lent  to 
her  manners  a  piquant  simplicity  that  was  exceed- 
ingly refreshing  in  its  disregard  of  forms  and  con- 
ventionalisms ;  and  to  her  decisions  a  promptness 
that  was  quick,  and,  for  a  pupil  or  other  subordin- 
ate who  would  attempt  rebellion,  could  be  start- 
ling— particularly  when  accompanied  by  an  un- 
usual tone  and  gesture  of  command. 

A  distinguishing  trait  of  Mrs.  Nassau  was  her 
generosity ;  she  was  perfectly  unselfish.  She  sac- 
rificed herself  for  any  and  all.  In  school  recita- 
tions, so  that  an  ambitious  friend  should  take  the 
honor  which  she  seemed  just  to  fail  to  attain.  In 
private  the  poor  and  the  suppliant  received  from 
her  hand — not  in  the  charity  that  gives  to  get  rid 
of  importunity,  but  because,  in  the  charity  in  which 
"judgment  hath  no  part,"  she  pitied.  The  mission- 
ary salar>'  was  each  year  supplemented  from  her 
little  patrimony,  to  obtain  comforts,  conveniences, 
or  a  few  luxuries,  the  enjoyment  of  which  helped 
to  stand  up  against  the  climate,  and  without  which 


CYPRESS  LEAVES. 


383 


she  would  either  sooner  have  fallen  or  had  to  re- 
turn. In  her  benefactions  one  hand  so  literally 
knew  not  what  the  other  did,  that  her  memory 
would  be  offended  if  they  were  detailed.  Her 
excellence  in  attending  the  sick,  and  especially  in- 
fants, made  frequent  calls  for  her  help  both  in  the 
mission  and  among  the  natives,  A  slight  acquaint- 
ance with  her  father's  medical  books,  increased  by 
subsequent  study,  with  a  desire  to  help  the  suffer- 
ing, and  a  quick  judgment  to  diagnose  and  to  de- 
cide on  the  indicated  remedy,  made  her  a  good 
physician.  She  read  regularly  the  Medical  and 
Surgical  Reporter,  and  studied  combinations  with 
clearness.  Her  babes  found  in  their  fond  mother 
a  most  skillful  nurse. 

There  was  a  quiet  patience  in  submission  to  trial, 
meek  endurance  of  wrong,  and  a  sweet  forgiveness 
that  was  Christ-like. 

With  decided  views,  and  a  keen  sense  for  and 
love  of  justice  that  made  her  cordially  hate  wrong 
and  all  meanness,  she  was  tolerant  of  others,  and 
charitable  to  the  tempted  and  fallen.  Indeed,  one 
sometimes  wondered  to  see  her,  like  her  Master, 
eating  with  publicans  and  sinners. 

Mrs.  Nassau  was  eminently  fitted  for  the  new 
scenes  and  emergencies  of  pioneer  life.  She 
adapted  herself  to  circumstances,  and,  not  fasti- 
dious, her  cultivated  tastes  did  not  make  necessity 
bitter.     Though  not  strong  in  body,  she  had  great 


384  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

self-command.  Sudden  danger  made  her  calm, 
and  an  alert  perception  suggested  resource.  When 
Ukuku  (the  spirit  whose  oracles  govern  the  native 
tribes,  and  whose  frown  is  sometimes  death)  tried 
to  frighten  away  the  school-girls  at  Corisco,  she 
quietly  locked  them  in  her  room,  and  faced  the 
raging  women  and  drunken  men  who  were  press- 
ing into  the  house.  When  that  same  spirit  assailed 
the  Benita  house,  she,  pale  but  calm,  sat  listening 
to  the  musket-shots  of  the  fight  outside. 

But  the  mission  will  most  miss  her  for  her  judg- 
ment— impartial,  wise,  and,  by  close  observation 
and  long  experience  among  the  natives,  almost 
unerring.  EvcrytJiing  at  Benita  tells  of  her.  She 
had  a  keen  interest  in  all  that  was  done,  from  the 
building  of  a  chicken-coop  to  the  cutting  of  a  sail 
— from  the  giving  of  a  book  to  a  new  pupil  to  the 
examination  of  a  candidate  before  session,  she, 
either  as  interested  spectator  or  trusted  counsellor, 
knew  of  everything.  She  had  wonderful  insight 
into  character,  and  was  rarely  deceived  by  the 
fairest  pretences  of  the  sharpest  natives. 

Her  piety  lay  in  the  deep  convictions  of  the 
heart,  and  was  realized  in  her  life  of  devotion  to 
humanity.  Though  her  letters  and  fond  notes  are 
warmed  and  lighted  by  her  love  to  the  Saviour, 
she  did  not  in  conversation  speak  of  thoughts  and 
feelings — rarely  spoke  even  of  religion  as  a  topic  ; 
but  the  daily  retiring  to  the  closet,  the  Bible  a  con- 


CYPRESS  LEAVES.  385 

stant  companion  in  her  room,  and  the  often-suffused 
eye,  told  of  communings  with  Jesus,  ReHgion  was 
so  lived  by  her,  and  her  peace  flowed  so  like  a 
river  absent  of  tides,  that  it  was  unmarked  because 
without  fluctuation.  This  appearance  of  quiet 
waiting  grew  in  this  last  year  of  her  life,  1870,  the 
close  of  which  she,  in  its  beginning,  said  she  did 
not  expect  to  see.  On  her  death-bed  she  uttered 
no  fears,  nor  breathed  excited  aspirations.  She 
quietly  remarked  that  she  understood,  by  the  de- 
pression disease  makes,  how  unfit  a  place  a  death- 
bed is  for  preparation ;  and  this  not  in  the  despair 
of  one  failing  in  an  attempt  to  prepare,  but  in  the 
calm  survey  of  one  prepared.  Her  trust  in  God 
was  complete,  and  she  had  no  words  of  anxiety  for 
her  two  boys,  saying  they  would  be  well  cared  for. 
Some  who  knew  Mary  Latta  as  a  merry  school- 
girl may  not  recognize  this  portrait.  They  did 
not  know  her  truly.  Some  did  wonder  that  the 
witty  girl,  whose  laugh  or  practical  (never  unkind) 
joke  had  so  delighted,  was  going  as  a  missionary 
to  Africa.  Though  that  cheerful  disposition  and 
light  heart  were  chastened  by  the  burdens  and 
weariness  of  uninterrupted  years,  they  never  were 
crushed.  They  were  the  life  of  the  missionary 
company ;  were  one  reason  of  her  so  long  sustain- 
ing herself.  A  noble  woman,  a  devoted  wife  and 
fond  mother,  a  skillful  teacher,  an  accomplished 
missionary,  a  sincere  Christian. 
33* 


386  CROWNED  IN  PALM-LAND. 

FROM    MRS.    GEORGIANNA    M.    m'qUEEN. 

LONGMEADOW,  MASS., 
February  26,  1871. 

.  .  .  How  sudden  to  you  Mrs.  Nassau's  death ; 
for,  although  you  can  look  back  nozv  and  see  that 
her  health  was  failing  month  by  month,  at  the 
time  you  could  not  realize  it.  .  .  .  God  has  ordered 
it  otherwise.  It  is  a  comfort  to  you,  as  you  think 
of  her  last  hours,  that  they  were  so  free  from  pain. 
You  needed  not  dying  testimony  to  be  assured 
that  she  was  ready  to  go,  —  that  her  lamp  was 
trimmed  and  burning. 

What  a  change  for  her, — lying  down  in  weak- 
ness, awakening  in  Heaven  !  As  you  bore  her  life- 
less body  back  to  her  African  home,  she  would  not 
have  returned  to  it  and  to  her  husband  and  chil- 
dren, whom  she  loved  so  tenderly,  could  she  have 
done  so,  for  she  had  seen  her  Saviour, — the  King 
in  His  glory, — which  was  far  better. 

But  you  and  your  sister,  in  your  loneliness  and 
sorrow,  need  sympathy  ;  and  you  have  it,  not  only 
from  your  family  and  friends,  from  your  missionary 
associates,  but  from  those  who,  not  knowing  you 
personally,  love  the  work  in  which  you  are  en- 
gaged, and  are  saddened  when  a  beloved  laborer 
falls. 

Mrs.  Nassau  was  unusually  well  qualified  for 
her  work, — cheerful,  hopeful,  and  inspired  others. 


CYPRESS  LEAVES.  387 

Should  the  mission  be  reinforced,  it  will  be  a  long 
time  before  another  lady  can  be  competent  to  do 
the  work  Mrs.  Nassau  could  do,  or  can  obtain  the 
influence  over  the  natives  which  she  had.  Her 
cheerful,  pleasant  words  attracted  them,  and  her 
kind  words  made  them  friends.  .  .  . 


Mrs.  Walker,  writing  to  Miss  I.  A.  Nassau, 
from  Bloomfield,  N.  J.,  Nov.  22,  1872,  about  the 
two  boys'  photographs,  says, — 

"  I  delight  to  trace  the  lineaments  of  their 
sainted  mother  in  their  dear  faces.  How  precious 
her  memory  to  us  !  I  love  to  tell  the  story  of  her 
life  to  those  who  love  the  cause  of  missions,  and 
love  to  work  for  Jesus.  But  there  is  no  circum- 
stance of  her  life  that  impresses  me  more  than  that 
peaceful  death,  on  the  open  sea,  during  the  silent 
watches  of  the  night.  I  seem  to  see  the  very  spot, 
— the  boat  gliding  along.  And  that  anxious  com- 
pany. Each  one.  The  dead ;  the  stricken  hus- 
band; poor  motherly  Mrs.  Sneed,  with  Charley; 
darling  Charley,  so  precious  to  his  mother  in  life  ! 
And  that  sympathizing  company  of  boatmen, 

"  Strange  that  one  so  tender  and  delicate  as  she 
should  cross  and  recross  the  ocean,  and  pass  away 


388  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

from  earth  to  her  home  on  high  in  such  a  manner! 
How  little  those  who  were  training  her  so  care- 
fully in  her  childhood  imagined  such  a  thing !  But 
I  have  often  thought,  knowing,  as  I  did,  Mrs.  Nas- 
sau's beautiful  character  and  noble  mind,  if  she 
could  have  known  or  thought  there  was  a  possibility 
of  her  dying  just  as  she  did,  she  would  not  have 
hesitated  a  moment  to  have  entered  that  path  in 
life's  journey,  ending  as  it  did.  It  was  sad  for  the 
loved  ones  she  left ;  but,  oh,  not  for  her, — not  for 
her.  ..." 


Miss  Sue  F.  Campbell, — a  schoolmate  of  Mrs. 
Nassau, — of  Rock  Spring,  Centre  Co.,  Pa.,  wrote, 
February  25,  1873,  to  Miss  I.  A.  Nassau,  of  an 
article  in  Woman's  Work  for  Woman: 

"  I,  too,  dear  friend,  mourned  for  Africa  when,  as 
you  say  to  the  ladies  of  Marion,  '  one  beloved  work 
after  another  was  abandoned.'  I  have  vivid  recol- 
lections of  earnest  seasons  at  the  throne  of  grace 
as  sickness  or  death  removed  the  laborers,  till  you 
and  your  brother  were  the  only  representatives  of 
the  church  in  America.  I  rejoice  that  a  brighter 
day  has  dawned ;  new  laborers  in  the  field ;  our 
dark-browed  sisters  arousing  to  the  gospel  call. 
.   .   .   An    item    in   the  Presbyterian,  some   weeks 


CYPRESS  LEA  VES. 


389 


since,  from  'An  African  Missionary,'  respecting 
*  Woodstock,'  moistened  my  eyes,  I  can  name 
him,  for  I  know  who  made  '  two  mounds  in  the 
white  sands  of  Benita.' " 


Some  verses  that  I  addressed  to  Mrs.  Nassau  in 
America,  in  1863,  ehcited  a  request  for  the  com- 
position of  an  extended  article,  with  "Africa"  as 
the  theme.  Occasion  for  compHance  with  her  wish 
was  not  presented  until  my  own  return,  in  1872,  by 
a  formal  invitation  to  address  a  literary  society, 
in  March  of  that  year.  The  following  extract 
alludes  to  the  cemetery  in  which  she  lies : 

'Tis  chosen  well,  that  little  yard 
Of  missionary  graves, 
.  Just  near  the  house  they  liked  on  earth. 
And  by  the  ocean's  waves. 

The  forest  trees  are  undisturbed 

By  axe  or  Art's  curt  style, 
Save  where  a  winding  path  pursues 

Nature's  own  wooded  aisle. 

The  vines  may  clamber  unrestrained, 

And  light  fall  cheerily 
O'er  grass  and  bush,  where  birds  untamed 

Still  twitter  merrily. 


390  CROWNED   IN  PALM-LAND. 

But  Art  its  ^(/i/tv/ hand  has  set 

(Not  taken  aught  away) 
Where  Love  has  sought,  on  marble  fair 

To  save  from  Time's  decay 
Dear  names,  whose  lives  and  mem'ries  rare 
We  cannot  willingly  forget. 

There  Infancy  was  laid  to  rest, 

And  Manhood  in  his  strength, 
And  patient  Womanhood.     How  blest 

To  reach  their  Home  at  length  ! 

There,  too,  beneath  the  fervid  sky, 

\\Tiere  sunbeams  blaze  by  day ; 
Or,  when  the  moon  is  mounted  high, 

Cool  mystic  shadows  play ; 
Where  stars  so  silently  look  down 

Through  vistas  of  the  night. 
From  Southern  Cross  and  Southern  Crown, 

On  marble  cold  and  white ; 
The  light  of  sun  and  moon  and  star 

On  tablet-sculptured  cross  rests  calm, — 
Benita's  brave-borne  cross  of  Jier 

Who  wears  Benita's  Crown  and  Palm. 

"  Lone  midnight  hour  on  the  sea,  what  watchers  were  with  thee  ? 
What  step  divine  walked  on  the  wave?   What  angel  ministry? 
Would  not  our  loved  have  chosen  thus,  all  in  the  holy  night. 
Up  that  star-lighted  tropic  sky,  to  pass  tke  realms  of  light? 
Bear  back  the  dear  unbrcathing  clay!     Benita's  dark-browed 

band 
Will  lay  it  tenderly  away  in  their  own  Palmy  land." 


THE     END. 


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